As part of a statewide Tobacco Compliance Check Campaign, ALE agents issued a criminal citation to each of the store clerks who were allegedly in violation of the law by selling cigars, cigarettes, snuff or bulk tobacco to customers who were younger than 18 years-old.

“Store clerks have no excuse for selling tobacco to minors,” said ALE Director Mike Robertson. “All it takes is a quick glance at a driver's license photo and the color of the border around that photo. A red border means the person is too young to be buying tobacco products.”

Three state agencies are part of a Red Flag compliance check campaign to prompt retailers to check for a red border around the photo on N.C. drivers' licenses every time someone request tobacco products. As the campaign slogan puts it: If you see red, the tobacco sale is dead.

While those under 18 years of age have the red border, those 18 to 20 years of age have a yellow border around their license showing they may purchase tobacco but not alcohol, and a green border means the person is 21 years of age and may purchase alcohol or tobacco.

Statistics show that:

• The average age that people start smoking is 13.
• More than 200,000 people under the age of 18 will die prematurely from smoking.
• 24,000 youths become new smokers in North Carolina each year.
• Ninety percent of adult smokers in North Carolina began using cigarettes before age 18.

The nicotine in tobacco is more addictive than heroin. Tobacco has long been called a gateway drug and experts say the escalation from the use of tobacco products to other drugs increases the likelihood of a young person's activity with theft or other criminal activities.

“Thankfully, retail outlets are taking these compliance checks more seriously and are doing a better job of training their store clerks to ensure they are complying with state tobacco laws,” said Robertson. “We are serious about enforcing the state's tobacco laws, and hoping this compliance campaign will help save lives.”

ALE is the lead agency for the Tobacco Education and Compliance Check Program and the campaign is conducted in partnership with the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services and the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund. It is also a cooperative effort among community agencies, local law enforcement agencies, merchants, parents, and teens. The Red Flag Program has the support of the NC Retail Merchants Association and the NC Association of Convenience Stores.

For more information on the Red Flag Campaign, go here: www.ncale.org/redflag.

The division has 117 agents across North Carolina to enforce alcohol and tobacco laws.