Major Retailers Sign Multi State Legal Agreements

Agreements outline required training components, promote explanation for tobacco minimum age sales laws.

Several nationally prominent retail chains have signed legal agreements (most often referred to as an "Assurance of Voluntary Compliance" or "AVC") with state attorneys general that promote tobacco retail practices and policies aimed to further prevent the underage sale of tobacco products.

Many of these policy requirements are similar to what the We Card program has recommended to retailers as part of its Best Practices for Responsible Tobacco Retailing while other elements are new.

One new element is the "rationale" or "background" that requires retailers to explain the reasons for minimum-age tobacco sales laws and why such policies and practices for preventing underage tobacco sales have been adopted. Many in the public health and enforcement communities believe strongly that this messaging is important to help retailers prevent underage tobacco sales and should be included in employee training. As an information resource for retailers, the Coalition believes that retailers should be aware of all available prevention techniques. Therefore, we encourage retailers to review the "rationale" or "background" messages and other components of the AVC agreement in order to determine their applicability in helping frontline employees prevent the underage sale of tobacco. To see an example of how ExxonMobil addressed this new requirement, click here.

Listed below are the major sections appearing in the AVC between the State Attorneys General and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Click on any of the highlighted sections to see details.