RALEIGH – From Jan. 1 through June 30, Alcohol Law Enforcement agents have conducted 2,366 tobacco compliance checks across the state and cited 371 store clerks in 70 counties for selling tobacco or tobacco products to a minor.

“Every month, ALE agents are making sure retail establishments are checking IDs and not selling tobacco to minors,” said ALE Director Bill Chandler . “Store clerks who sell tobacco to a minor will find that the penalties can be stiff.”

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 store clerk does have prior convictions, the judge may also order jail time. Selling tobacco to an underage person is a Class II misdemeanor.

ALE offers programs to educate clerks at retail outlets on how to check identifications and prevent sales to minors through the BARS (Be A Responsible Seller) training program. Agents also distribute signs and brochures related to the state law and the responsibilities of retail merchants.



Each month, ALE agents make unannounced compliance checks as part of the state’s Tobacco Education and Compliance Check Program.



The following are totals for the first half of the year from each of ALE’s nine district offices:



Elizabeth City

Establishments checked: 130

Citations issued: 26

Counties: 11 – Camden , Chowan, Currituck, Edgecombe, Gates, Hyde, Martin, Nash, Pasquotank, Perquimans, and Washington .



New Bern

Establishments checked: 155

Citations issued: 21

Counties: nine – Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, Pamlico, Pitt and Wilson.



Wilmington

Establishments checked: 233

Citations issued: 35

Counties: six – Bladen, Brunswick , Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow and Pender.



Raleigh

Establishments checked: 274

Citations issued: 57

Counties: six – Chatham, Durham , Orange , Person, Vance and Wake.

Fayetteville

Establishments checked: 373

Citations issued: 88

Counties: 11 – Cumberland , Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery , Moore , Richmond , Robeson, Sampson , Scotland and Wayne .

Greensboro

Establishments checked: 575

Citations issued: 44

Counties: nine – Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Davie , Forsyth, Guilford , Randolph, Rockingham and Stokes.

Hickory

Establishments checked: 229

Citations issued: 40

Counties: eight – Alexander, Caldwell, Catawba, Iredell, Lincoln, Surry, Watauga and Yadkin.



Charlotte

Establishments checked: 329

Citations issued: 48

Counties: five – Cabarrus, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Rowan and Union .



Asheville

Establishments checked: 68

Citations issued: 12

Counties: five – Buncombe, Burke, Madison, Mitchell, and Rutherford.

ALE is the lead agency for the Tobacco Education and Compliance Check Program, and works in partnership with the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services. The program is funded by the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund. The N.C. Retail Merchants Association and the N.C. Association of Convenience Stores also supports the tobacco program.

The N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund sponsors the tobacco check program to prevent young people from smoking. In North Carolina , surveys show that 90 percent of adult smokers began using cigarettes before age 18.

ALE, an agency within the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, has 115 agents across North Carolina to enforce alcohol and tobacco laws.