Out of 7,431 retailers that sell tobacco, who have undergone an FDA compliance check, 7,184 have passed the compliance check inspections with no violations. Only 247 retailers have been cited with a violation of FDA regulations.
This means that 97% of retailers inspected are in compliance with FDA tobacco regulations, and only 3% had some kind of violation. The lists of retailers that have passed and not passed the compliance checks are listed on the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products Web site.
The violations may include (1) failing to request identification of a customer that [image-nocss] appears to be under the age of 27; (2) selling tobacco products to a minor; (3) having self-service displays of cigarettes; RYO tobacco or smokeless tobacco if minors are allowed to enter and be present in the store; or (4) selling individual cigarettes.
Currently, 13 states are conducting the retail compliance inspections under a contract with the FDA. The inspections began in December of 2010 and are ongoing. The states conducting inspections include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Washington.
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