FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2019


Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control to conduct inspections of retailers that sell vaping products


The Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control announces that sometime in the month of November it will be conducting inspections of retailers that sell vaping products in Greene and Webster counties. The inspections will focus on potential violations of Missouri’s youth tobacco laws, which prohibit the sale of tobacco products, including vaping products, to persons under 18 years of age.

On Oct. 15, in Executive Order 19-18, Governor Mike Parson directed the Missouri Department of Public Safety to deter the use of vaping products among the youth of Missouri. The Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control is the DPS agency charged with enforcing Missouri’s youth tobacco laws. The Governor’s order cited U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures that showed through Oct. 4, there had been 22 reports of vaping-related illnesses in Missouri, including one death, with a majority of the reports being among people age 15 to 24.

Violations of Missouri’s youth tobacco laws can result in citations against the seller for sale of tobacco to a minor. The retail location can also be cited civilly for the sale of tobacco to a minor.

Retailers and their employees are the first line of defense in the battle against underage tobacco use and vaping.

“The Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control is committed to enforcing laws meant to keep minors from smoking and vaping,” Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control State Supervisor Dottie Taylor said. “Because of the very serious danger of vaping products to minors and Governor Parson’s directive, our agents will be focusing more of their enforcement efforts on vape shops and vaping product retailers.”

ATC works in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to enforce Missouri’s youth tobacco laws. To report a potential tobacco/vaping violation call 1-877-CTP-1373, send an email to CTPCompliance@FDA.hhs.gov or go online to: accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ptvr/index.cfm.

On average, ATC agents conduct more than 6,000 inspections of tobacco and vaping product retailers each year.



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For more information, call 573-751-5432 or e-mail mike.oconnell@dps.mo.gov