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The Responsible Connecticut Retailer Newsletter

October 22, 2024 / Issue #19

Reminder: New Law Effective October 1, 2024

A new state law requires e-cigarette retailers to take a free, online training as part of the license application process. Owners must complete the training as part of their initial e-cigarette license application and for each renewal application. After they have completed the training, owners will receive a certificate, which they can download, print, and keep for their records as proof that they have passed the training. For more information on the new law, visit CT Department of Consumer Protection, and to take the free, online training, visit cttobaccotraining.com.

2024 Retailer Compliance Inspections:

Thank You For Doing The Right Thing

The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) Tobacco Prevention and Enforcement Program (TPEP) checks retail stores throughout the year to make sure clerks, managers, and owners do not sell tobacco products and e-cigarettes to customers under 21 years old.

In 2024, 86% of Connecticut retailers did the right thing by not selling tobacco products and electronic cigarettes to underage customers! We thank you and hope that you will take a moment to acknowledge the impact you and your staff have made in the lives of Connecticut's youth; your diligence and commitment to responsible sales have protected youth from the harms associated with tobacco use and vaping.

If you have any questions about compliance with Connecticut's tobacco and e-cigarette laws or the inspection process, please reach out to TPEP at Tobacco.prevention@ct.gov.

Have Your Voice Heard and Make an Impact

Please join us on October 29, 2024, from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., for the next meeting of the Tobacco Merchant & Community Education Steering Committee. The meeting will occur on Zoom. Here is the meeting link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87545422831

Take the Free Online Training Today!

Just a reminder that there is a free online training called Tobacco and Electronic Cigarette Sales: Do the Right Thing. The training gives store owners, managers, clerks, and the general public key information about Connecticut’s laws around buying and selling cigarettes,

e-cigarettes, and other tobacco products. You can take the training HERE.

Free Resources for Retailers

The Tobacco Merchant and Community Education (TMCE) Steering Committee develops materials to help retailers comply with Connecticut's tobacco and e-cigarette laws and to let customers know that they must be 21 years old or older to buy tobacco products and e-cigarettes. Materials include State Notice of Law Signs, which retailers are required to post in their stores at the point of sale; postcards, door decals, and cash register/counter stickers, which tell customers to have their IDs ready; and promotional items, including WE ID face masks, WE ID buttons, and pens. All items are pictured below. To order, please contact Connecticut Clearinghouse at 800-232-4424 or info@ctclearinghouse.org.

FDA Tools and Resources

FDA’s Digital Age Verification Calendar

The FDA’s free digital age verification calendar helps retailers quickly determine if a customer is old enough to legally purchase tobacco and e-cigarette/vape products. The calendar can be programmed to display the exact date a customer must have been born on or before to legally buy tobacco and e-cigarette/vape products. Under Connecticut, the customer must be 21 or older to buy these products. Click HERE to order your free digital age verification calendar.

Free FDA Trainings

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products offers a series of webinars on federal tobacco regulations to provide compliance education and information to retailers. For the latest webinars, visit their website: FDA Tobacco Compliance Webinars | FDA.

Connecticut Clearinghouse | [ctclearinghouse.org]