Four Sampson Store Clerks Cited for Selling Tobacco Products to Minors

Source from:  clintonnc.com By Chris Berendt Friday, February 8, 2008 02/13/2008

Throughout last month, state Alcohol Law Enforcement agents cited 19 store clerks in eight counties for selling tobacco products to a minor, including four in Sampson, according to information received from the agency. ALE agents checked 111 retail establishments in Sampson, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Robeson Scotland and Wayne counties. ALE, a division of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, has 117 agents across the state to enforce alcohol and tobacco laws. As part of the state's Tobacco Education and Compliance Check Program, ALE agents conduct random checks of stores that sell cigarettes and other tobacco products. The checks, conducted each month, are to make sure clerks are asking for identification and refusing such sales to anyone under the age of 18. "Since starting these checks five years ago, we have seen the number of underage tobacco sales drop significantly," said ALE director William Chandler in a prepared statement. "We will continue to conduct unannounced compliance checks at retail sales outlets to ensure young people cannot purchase cigarettes or any other tobacco product." According to information provided by ALE officials, stores that sold to underage consumers in Sampson were Friendly Mart at 5001 Northeast Blvd., Clinton; Han-Dee Hugo No. 4 at 301 Northeast Blvd., Clinton; Bonnetsville Kwik Stop and Grill at 3900 Roseboro Hwy., Clinton; and Bestway Foods at 7389 Northwest Blvd., Clinton. Selling tobacco to an underage person is a Class II misdemeanor. A District Court judge may fine a violator up to $1,000 or order community punishment of up to 30 days if the defendant has no prior convictions. If the clerk does have prior convictions, he or she could also serve jail time. In addition to the four in Sampson, ALE agents cited nine clerks in Wayne County, four more in Scotland County and one each in Hoke and Lee counties. Officials said the importance of the tobacco check program, paid for by the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund, is evident. It has as its goal to prevent young people from smoking. In North Carolina, surveys show that 90 percent of adult smokers began using cigarettes before age 18. The use of tobacco products, experts say, can result in health issues and may often lead to other drugs. Along with ALE agents, authorities with the Division of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services worked in conjunction with each other as part of the tobacco check program. The N.C. Retail Merchants Association and the N.C. Association of Convenience Stores has also supported the tobacco campaigns. It takes just a few extra moments to request a form of identification before carrying out the sales transaction, said ALE officials. "It's easy for a store clerk to identify an underage person," said Chandler. "A red border around the driver's license means the person is under the age of 18. If you see red, the tobacco sale is dead." Enditem