If retailers notice teens hanging around the outside of a convenience store and notice them approach an adult, they should refuse that sale, Ms. McKenna told local convenience store owners. Store employees can also ask customers if they are buying tobacco products for minors, she said. If they say yes, clerks are urged not to sell them the product. Representatives of the coalition, formed to help reduce teen smoking, stopped in Augusta Thursday to make area convenience store owners more aware of state laws regarding tobacco sales to minors. In response to federal legislation that would levy stiff fines against convenience store owners who sell tobacco products to minors, tobacco retailers are now taking steps toward reducing the number of teen smokers.
State law prohibits the sale of tobacco products to minors.
Subsequent offenses mean higher penalties. There have been no cases in Augusta that he's aware of, Investigator Berry said, where convenience store employers or employees have been arrested or fined for selling tobacco products to minors. However, in an undercover operation last year, four area convenience store employees sold cigarettes to minors, Investigator Berry said. No cases were brought against the businesses. Employers got a talking-to, he said.