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The Responsible Connecticut Retailer Newsletter
November 20, 2024 / Issue #20
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The Great American Smokeout®
November 21, 2024
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The Great American Smokeout® event is Thursday, November 21st. Thousands of people across Connecticut will mark this day as DAY ONE of their journey to quit smoking, vaping, and using other tobacco products. They want to live healthier lives; end their addiction to nicotine; and reduce their risk for cancer and other chronic health conditions.
Quitting smoking or vaping isn’t easy. It takes time, a plan, and support from family, friends, and community members. As a tobacco retailer, you can help youth and adults in your community live tobacco-free by selling tobacco products and e-cigarettes responsibly. You can teach your staff to:
- Ask for and check customers' photo IDs to make sure they are 21 years old or older; and
- Sell tobacco products only to customers who are 21 or older.
You can also support youth and adults to quit using cigarettes, vapes, and other tobacco products by printing and posting the sign below, "Great American Smokeout®: Need Help Quitting?" The sign includes contact information for quit resources for youth and adults who are ready to start their quit journey. To print the sign, click on the image and then click the print icon.
| | | Resources to Help Someone You Love Quit Smoking | |
Connecticut Clearinghouse, the statewide library for information and resources on substance use prevention and mental health promotion, offers books, pamphlets, and fact sheets on quitting smoking and vaping. You can borrow books or receive pamphlets and fact sheets if you or someone you love is thinking of quitting smoking or vaping. Some of their quit resources are currently featured on TikTok. Membership is free, and they can mail materials to you. Connecticut Clearinghouse is a program of Wheeler Health and is funded by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
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Tips for Checking Customers' Photo IDs:
Identifying and Responding to Fake IDs
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Connecticut law requires tobacco retailers to ask for and check customers' photo IDs when they purchase cigarettes, e-cigarettes (e.g., vapes), and other tobacco products. Specifically, retailers must:
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Ask for and check the photo IDs of ALL customers who buy cigarettes and other tobacco products (e.g., cigars, los cigarillos, little cigars, chew, dip, snus, snuff, nicotine pouches, and nicotine gel).
- Ask for and check the photo IDs of customers who buy e-cigarettes including e-liquid and batteries, and who appear to be under 30 years old.
Most customers will provide a valid photo ID, such as their driver's license, passport, or state ID card. A valid photo ID includes:
- A photo that matches the customer standing in front of you.
- An expiration date that has not expired.
- A date of birth that proves the customer is 21 years old or older.
- No signs of tampering.
Some customers may try to use fake IDs to buy tobacco products because they are under 21 years of age. As a retailer, you are required to look for obvious signs of tampering, such as:
- Dull or missing holographic images
- Blurred lettering
- Poor photo quality or photo does not match the customer
- Uneven surfaces
- Bubbles in the laminate
- Rough edges
- Unrealistic expiration date (e.g., too far into the future)
If you find obvious signs of tampering, do not make the sale, and do not try to confiscate the ID. If you do not find obvious signs of tampering, continue with the sale.
If you have any questions about checking customers' photo IDs, please reach out to the state's Tobacco Prevention and Enforcement Program (TPEP) at Tobacco.prevention@ct.gov.
| | | 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’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.
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