Wal-Mart will implement new policies and procedures to reduce tobacco sales to minors in Wal-Mart stores throughout the nation, including all 46 Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores in Massachusetts, under the terms of a multi-state agreement announced by Attorney General Tom Reilly and Attorneys General from 42 other states.
The assurance of voluntary compliance is the third of its kind to be reached as part of an ongoing, multi-state enforcement effort to keep cigarettes away from teenagers. Similar agreements are in place with the Walgreens drugstore chain and the Exxon Mobil Corporation, which operates a nationwide chain of gas stations and convenience stores.
"Every day more than 2,000 minors pick up a cigarette for the very first time and end up getting hooked for life," Reilly said. "It's important that retailers do what they can to keep kids away from tobacco and adopt policies and practices similar to the ones outlined in today's agreement with Wal-Mart."
The multistate agreement requires Wal-Mart to take the following steps:
• Train employees on state and local laws and company policies regarding tobacco sales to minors, including explaining the health-related reasons for laws that restrict youth access to tobacco. • Check the ID of any person purchasing tobacco products when the person appears to be under age 27, and accept only currently valid government-issued photo identification as proof of age. • Use cash registers programmed to prompt ID checks on all tobacco sales. • Hire an independent entity to conduct random compliance checks of approximately 10% of all Wal-Mart stores every six months. • Prohibit self-service displays of tobacco products, the use of vending machines to sell tobacco products, and the distribution of free samples on store property. • Prohibit the sale of smoking paraphernalia to minors.
Under the terms of the agreement, Massachusetts will receive approximately $9,000 for the Attorney General's Local Consumer Aid Fund. The attorneys general will monitor compliance with the agreement and have reserved the right to enforce future violations of the agreement as well as the laws governing sale of tobacco to minors.
The agreement is part of Reilly's ongoing effort to protect children from the health risks of smoking. Earlier this month, Reilly's Consumer Protection and Antitrust Division (CPAD) filed lawsuits against three out-of-state online cigarette vendors accused of selling cigarettes to Massachusetts teenagers without first verifying that they were at least 18 years old.
Studies have shown that the great majority of adult smokers started smoking before age 18, the legal age to purchase cigarettes in Massachusetts. A survey of Massachusetts high school students found that 74 percent of teen smokers had tried to quit but were unable to do so.
Tobacco is estimated to result in more deaths each year in Massachusetts than alcohol, cocaine, heroin, homicide, suicide, car accidents, fires, and AIDS combined. The agreement is considered a model for all drugstores and retailers committed to reducing the rate of sale of tobacco products to minors.
