Tobacco Retailer

The Nevada Responsible Tobacco Sales Training is a collaborative initiative between the State of Nevada’s Tobacco Control Program, the Bureau of Behavioral Health Wellness and Prevention, local health authorities, and community coalitions.

This partnership facilitates projects to address youth tobacco use by providing information and tools necessary for employees of retailers that sell tobacco products, to comply with the Federal and State laws. These include regulations of sales and distributions as they relate to youth access, advertising and promotion of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and other covered tobacco products.

Home Page - Tobacco Merchant Training Platform (responsibletobacconv.com)

Importance of T21 (Tobacco 21)

Increasing the minimum sale age for tobacco products to 21 is an effective strategy to reduce smoking and other tobacco use among youth.

About 95% of adult smokers began smoking before they turned 21. The age period between 18 to 21 is also when many smokers move from experimental smoking to regular, daily use. While less than half of adult smokers (46%) become daily smokers before age 18, four out of five do so before they turn 21.

Increasing the tobacco age to 21 will help to prevent young people from ever starting to smoke and to reduce the deaths, disease and health care costs caused by tobacco.

The new legal sale age for ALL tobacco products in the United States 

On December 20, 2019, Congress raised the federal MLSA for tobacco products from 18 to 21 years. This legislation, known as Tobacco 21 or T21, became effective immediately, and it is now illegal for a retailer to sell any tobacco product – including cigarettes, cigars, and e-cigarettes – to anyone younger than 21 years.

The new federal MLSA applies to all retail establishments and people with no exceptions; it applies to retailers in all states, DC, all US territories, and on tribal lands. There is no exemption for active-duty military personnel or military veterans between the ages of 18 and 20 years, as had previously existed in some states.

Nevada Tobacco 21

On April 20, 2021, Assembly Bill 59 known as the Tobacco 21 Bill was signed into Nevada State Law.

The Law states, “The sale of cigarettes, any product containing, made or derived from tobacco, vapor product, alternative nicotine product or product containing, made or derived from nicotine to persons under 21 years of age is prohibited by law…”

The Law also pertains to any sale or distribution of tobacco products through the use of a computer network, telephonic network or other network.

The minimum sale age for ANY tobacco product – including cigarettes, cigars and electronic vaping products is now 21 years old.

 ID Verification

Effective as of January 1, 2023, requires all tobacco retailers to verify age using scanning technology or an automated software-based system before making a sale of tobacco products in Nevada.

To comply with this law, scan ID technology must be used to verify age before selling tobacco to any customer under the age of 40.

Any violations will get the seller a $100 fine for each offense.

The FDA offers guidance on how to comply with the new law:

• Check photo ID of everyone under age 30 who attempts to purchase any tobacco product.
• Only sell tobacco products to customers age 21 or older.
• Do NOT sell tobacco products in a vending machine unless in an adult-only facility.
• Do NOT give away free samples of tobacco products to consumers, including any of their components or parts.
• And more.

For more information, visit the FDA website.