On August 18 the Minot Police Department administered Tobacco Compliance Checks on 39 licensed tobacco retailers in the city. We are pleased to announce that ALL retailers passed the check by refusing to sell tobacco products to our underage volunteers.
Tobacco Compliance Checks are required by ordinance to be performed by the police department randomly throughout the year. Should a violation occur, two separate processes are started. First, the clerk is issued a municipal court summons for a criminal infraction. Secondly, the business is issued an administrative violation on their tobacco retailer license. Penalties for both are listed below.
When prosecuted, clerks selling tobacco products to persons under twenty-one is an infraction, with a minimum penalty of $50 for a first offense, $150 for a second offense within 12 months, and $300 for any additional violations in the same timeframe.
The business issued the tobacco sales permit are also subject to a civil penalty for non-compliance, according to the following schedule. Within a 12-month period:
1st offense $100 penalty.
2nd offense Tobacco License suspended for 7 days.
3rd offense Tobacco License suspended for 30 days.
4th offense Tobacco License suspended for 1 year.
