Reducing Tobacco Sales to Minors in NC

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Reducing Tobacco Sales to Minors in NC
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What We Do

• Division of MH/DD/SAS and ALE partner on an
  education and enforcement program to reduce the
  sale and distribution of tobacco products to
  youth under age 18.
• Conducts approximately 5,000 tobacco compliance
  checks annually.
• Offers retailer education and training.
• Generates earned media stories on compliance and
  retailer campaigns
• Supports collaborative tobacco prevention efforts
  with grantees, youth, local coalitions and public
  agencies, retailers and law enforcement

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Programs

• No Ifs Ands or Butts
• Provide positive reinforcements and recognition
  to retailers and clerks for checking IDs not
  selling tobacco to minors during ALE compliance
  checks.
• ALE has distributed over 9,000 TEE Certificates
  to retail clerks throughout the State.
• Currently exploring other types of incentives
  that would appeal to retailers (i.e. lapel pins)

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• No Ifs Ands or Butts Launched March 3, 2004
• Press Event at Lowes Foods, Raleigh

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Programs

• Red Flag
• Promotes use of the NC drivers license color
  code (Red) as first visual clue that the customer
  is underage for tobacco purchases.
• NC has a new vertical license format for youth
  under 21 years of age who received their drivers
  license on or after October 1, 2008.
• Merchant education materials include Red Flag
  brochures, posters, cash register stickers and
  buttons.
• New added materials for FY2009 include vertical
  license poster and Spanish version Red Flag
  brochures and posters.

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Horizontal License

• Red Border Around Drivers License Photo and
  Under 18 written down the right hand side of
  the drivers photo For license holders 15-17
  years of age

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New Vertical Drivers License

• On October 1, 2008, the Division of Motor
  Vehicles began issuing vertical drivers licenses
  to youth under the age of 21. As with the
  horizontal licenses, the vertical licenses are
  also color coded with either a red border or
  yellow border.
• NOTE Retailers will continue to see the
  horizontal licenses for those under age 21 until
  the last of those expire.

The vertical driver's license/ID card will
indicate the license holder's age by specifying
the dates on which he/she will turn 18 and 21
years old beside the photo.
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Red Flag Materials
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Red Flag SloganIf You See Red, The Tobacco Sale
Is Dead
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Services and Resources

• Technical assistance on programs and strategies
  to reduce youth access to tobacco
• Staff/ALE Agents participation in local
  trainings with youth and adult leaders
• ALE tobacco compliance checks data by county
• Materials for use in retailer education and
  training

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Training

• Be A Responsible Seller (BARS) retailer training
• Red Flag/Merchant Education Training (with
  Question Why, Youth Empowered Solutions)
• Participation in local trainings and workshops as
  requested

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Agency Contacts

• Carol Morris
• Alcohol Law Enforcement Division
• Phone [phone]
• Email cmorris_at_ncale.org
• Margaret Brake
• Division of Mental Health, Developmental
  Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services
• Phone [phone]
• Email Margaret.Brake_at_ncmail.net