Source: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/07/040
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 09:50:46+00:00

Document:
(1) "Board" means the Board of Liquor and Lottery.
(2) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Liquor and Lottery.
(3) "Tobacco products" means cigarettes, little cigars, roll-your-own tobacco, snuff, cigars, new smokeless tobacco, and other tobacco products as defined in 32 V.S.A. § 7702.
(4) "Vending machine" means any mechanical, electronic, or other similar device that dispenses tobacco products for money.
(5) "Tobacco license" means a license issued by the Division of Liquor Control under this chapter permitting the licensee to engage in the retail sale of tobacco products or locate a vending machine on the premises identified in the license.
(6) "Bidis or Beedies" means a product containing tobacco that is wrapped in temburni leaf (diospyros melanoxylon) or tendu leaf (diospyros exculpra), or any other product that is offered to, or purchased by, consumers as bidis or beedies.
(7) "Tobacco paraphernalia" means any device used, intended for use, or designed for use in smoking, inhaling, ingesting, or otherwise introducing tobacco products into the human body, or for preparing tobacco for smoking, inhaling, ingesting, or otherwise introducing into the human body, including devices for holding tobacco, rolling paper, wraps, cigarette rolling machines, pipes, water pipes, carburetion devices, bongs, and hookahs.
(a)(1) No person shall engage in the retail sale of tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, or tobacco paraphernalia in his or her place of business without a tobacco license obtained from the Division of Liquor Control.
(2) No person shall engage in the retail sale of tobacco substitutes without also obtaining a tobacco substitute endorsement from the Division of Liquor Control.
(3) Tobacco licenses and tobacco substitute endorsements shall expire at midnight, April 30, of each year.
(b)(1) The Board shall prepare and issue tobacco license and tobacco substitute endorsement forms and applications. These shall be incorporated into the liquor license forms and applications prepared and issued under this title.
(2) The licenses issued under this section shall be entitled "LIQUOR LICENSE," "LIQUOR-TOBACCO LICENSE," or "TOBACCO LICENSE," as applicable. The endorsements issued under this section shall be entitled "TOBACCO SUBSTITUTE ENDORSEMENT."
(3) The Board shall also provide simple instructions for licensees, designed to assist them in complying with the provisions of this chapter.
(c) Each tobacco license and tobacco substitute endorsement shall be prominently displayed on the premises identified in the license.
(C) to the legislative body of the municipality, a fee of $50.00 for a tobacco substitute endorsement as provided in subdivision (a)(2) of this section.
(2) The municipal clerk shall forward the application to the Division, and the Division shall issue the tobacco license and the tobacco substitute endorsement, as applicable, and shall forward all fees to the Commissioner for deposit in the Liquor Control Enterprise Fund.
(e) A person who sells tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, or tobacco paraphernalia without obtaining a tobacco license and a tobacco substitute endorsement, as applicable, in violation of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not more than $200.00 for the first offense and not more than $500.00 for each subsequent offense.
(f) No individual under 16 years of age may sell tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, or tobacco paraphernalia.
(a) An applicant for a tobacco license that does not hold a liquor license issued under this title shall be granted a tobacco license pursuant to section 1002 of this title only after the applicant has attended a Division of Liquor Control in-person seminar or completed the appropriate Division of Liquor Control online training program for the purpose of being informed about the Vermont tobacco laws pertaining to the purchase, storage, and sale of tobacco products. A corporation, partnership, or association shall designate a director, partner, or manager to comply with the requirements of this subsection.
(1) Complete the Division's in-person or online enforcement seminar at least once every two years. A corporation, partnership, or association shall designate a director, partner, or manager to comply with this subdivision.
(2) Ensure that every employee involved in the sale of tobacco products completes a Division of Liquor Control in-person or online training program or other training programs approved by the Division before the employee begins selling or providing tobacco products, and at least once every 24 months thereafter. A licensee may comply with this subdivision by conducting its own training program on its premises using information and materials furnished by the Division of Liquor Control. A licensee that fails to comply with the requirements of this subsection shall be subject to suspension of its tobacco license for not less than one day.
(a) A person shall not sell or provide tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, or tobacco paraphernalia to any person under 18 years of age.
(b) All vending machines selling tobacco products are prohibited.
(B) in a locked container.
(C) cigars and pipe tobacco stored in a humidor on the sales counter in plain view and under the control of a responsible employee so that the removal of these products from the humidor can be readily observed by that employee.
(d) The sale and the purchase of bidis is prohibited. A person who holds a tobacco license who sells bidis as prohibited by this subsection shall be fined not more than $500.00. A person who purchases bidis from any source shall be fined not more than $250.00.
(e) No person holding a tobacco license shall sell cigarettes or little cigars individually or in packs that contain fewer than 20 cigarettes or little cigars.
(a) A person shall exhibit proper proof of his or her age upon demand of a person licensed under this chapter, an employee of a licensee, or a law enforcement officer. If the person fails to provide proper proof of age, the licensee shall be entitled to refuse to sell tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, or tobacco paraphernalia to the person. The sale or furnishing of tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, or tobacco paraphernalia to a person exhibiting proper proof of age shall be prima facie evidence of a licensee's compliance with section 1007 of this title.
(a)(1) A person under 18 years of age shall not possess, purchase, or attempt to purchase tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, or tobacco paraphernalia unless the person is an employee of a holder of a tobacco license and is in possession of tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, or tobacco paraphernalia to effect a sale in the course of employment.
(2) A person under 18 years of age shall not misrepresent his or her age to purchase or attempt to purchase tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, or tobacco paraphernalia.
(b) A person who possesses tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, or tobacco paraphernalia in violation of subsection (a) of this section shall be subject to having the tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, or tobacco paraphernalia immediately confiscated and shall be further subject to a civil penalty of $25.00. An action under this subsection shall be brought in the same manner as a traffic violation pursuant to 23 V.S.A. chapter 24.
(a) A person licensed under this chapter shall post in a conspicuous place on the premises identified in the tobacco license a warning sign stating that the sale of tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, and tobacco paraphernalia to persons under 18 years of age is prohibited. The Board shall prepare the sign and make it available with the license forms issued under this chapter. The sign may include information about the health effects of tobacco and tobacco cessation services. The Board, in consultation with a representative of the licensees when appropriate, is authorized to change the design of the sign as needed to maintain its effectiveness.
(a) A person that sells or furnishes tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, or tobacco paraphernalia to a person under 18 years of age shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $100.00 for the first offense and not more than $500.00 for any subsequent offense. An action under this section shall be brought in the same manner as for a traffic violation pursuant to 23 V.S.A. chapter 24 and shall be brought within 24 hours of the occurrence of the alleged violation.
(b)(1) The Division of Liquor Control shall conduct or contract for compliance tests of tobacco licensees as frequently and as comprehensively as necessary to ensure consistent statewide compliance with the prohibition on sales to persons under 18 years of age of at least 90 percent for buyers who are 16 or 17 years of age. An individual under 18 years of age participating in a compliance test shall not be in violation of section 1005 of this title.
(1) "Cigarette" has the same meaning as in 32 V.S.A. § 7702(1).
(3) "Licensed wholesale dealer" has the same meaning as in 32 V.S.A § 7702(5).
(4) "Little cigars" has the same meaning as in 32 V.S.A. § 7702(6).
(5) "Retail dealer" has the same meaning as in 32 V.S.A. § 7702(10).
(6) "Roll-your-own tobacco" has the same meaning as in 32 V.S.A § 7702(11).
(7) "Snuff" has the same meaning as in 32 V.S.A. § 7702(13).
(b) No person shall cause cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, little cigars, or snuff, ordered or purchased by mail or through a computer network, telephonic network, or other electronic network, to be shipped to anyone other than a licensed wholesale dealer or retail dealer in this State.
(c) No person shall, with knowledge or reason to know of the violation, provide substantial assistance to a person in violation of this section.
(1) A knowing or intentional violation of this section shall be punishable by imprisonment for not more than five years or a fine of not more than $5,000.00, or both.
(2) In addition to or in lieu of any other civil or criminal remedy provided by law, upon a determination that a person has violated this section, the Attorney General may impose a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed $5,000.00 for each violation. For purposes of this subsection, each shipment or transport of cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, little cigars, or snuff shall constitute a separate violation.
(3) The Attorney General may seek an injunction to restrain a threatened or actual violation of this section.
(4) In any action brought pursuant to this section, the State shall be entitled to recover the costs of investigation, of expert witness fees, and of the action, and reasonable attorney's fees.
(5) A person who violates this section engages in an unfair and deceptive trade practice in violation of the State's Consumer Protection Act, 9 V.S.A. §§ 2451 et seq.
(6) If a court determines that a person has violated the provisions of this section, the court shall order any profits, gain, gross receipts, or other benefit from the violation to be disgorged and paid to the State Treasurer for deposit in the General Fund.
(a) A person shall not possess or use a cigarette rolling machine for commercial purposes.
(1) The revocation or termination of any license, permit, appointment, or commission under this chapter.
(2) A civil penalty of up to $50,000.00 in any action brought by the Department of Taxes, the Division of Liquor Control, or the Attorney General.
(c) Penalties assessed under subsection (b) of this section shall be paid into the General Fund.
(d) A person who violates subsection (a) of this section shall be imprisoned for not more than three years or fined not more than $100,000.00, or both.
(e) This section shall not apply to the possession of a cigarette rolling machine intended solely for personal use by individuals who do not intend to offer the resulting product for resale.
(2) any nicotine liquid container unless that container constitutes child-resistant packaging.
(1) "Child-resistant packaging" means packaging that is designed or constructed to be significantly difficult for children under five years of age to open or obtain a toxic or harmful amount of the substance in the container within a reasonable time and not difficult for normal adults to use properly, but does not mean packaging that all children under five years of age cannot open or obtain a toxic or harmful amount of the substance in the container within a reasonable time.

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