COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers announced that she has joined the attorneys general of 45 states and the District of Columbia in an agreement with Shell Oil that is designed to curb tobacco sales to minors. Shell and its joint venture, Motiva Enterprises, have agreed to adopt procedures designed to reduce sales of cigarettes to minors at 363 locations in Ohio, even though they do not directly own or operate the convenience stores. Nationwide, the agreement affects more than 13,000 of Shell's 14,000 outlets.
Under the agreement, Shell also will pay $100,000 for the [image-nocss] costs incurred by the states in investigation and negotiation.
The deal was prematurely reported in late September when the Illinois attorney general's office incorrectly posted a press statement that was picked up by some media outlets.
The agreement includes the following provisions:
Retail personnel will receive training about the health risks associated with childhood tobacco use. Shell will administer independent compliance checks to monitor sales practices at certain Shell convenience stores, to ensure they are not selling tobacco to minors. States will impose sanctions against contract operators that sell tobacco to minors. Vending machines and self-service displays that sell tobacco products will be forbidden at Shell-associated c-stores. In-store tobacco advertisements will be limited to reduce youth demand for tobacco products. Shell will require all c-store operators to notify the company if tobacco products are sold to minors in violation of the law.Other recent multi-state agreements cover gas station convenience stores selling fuel under the Conoco, Phillips 66 or 76, Exxon, Mobil, BP, Amoco, ARCO and Chevron brand names, and retail and pharmacy chains Kroger, 7-Eleven, Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS and Wal-Mart.
Rogers welcomed the agreement with Shell. "With this agreement, Shell joins the growing list of companies demonstrating their commitment to limiting youth access to tobacco in Ohio and nationwide," she said. "By requiring compliance with the law and limiting access to cigarettes, we help stop kids from smoking. Every child that doesn't become a smoker is a health victory."
"Studies show that most adult smokers begin smoking before turning 18, and we know 47% of underage youth who reported buying cigarettes say they purchased them at gas station convenience stores," said Illinois AG Lisa Madigan, who also signed the agreement.
In addition to Rogers and Madigan, attorneys general who have signed onto the agreement are those representing Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
The Shell "Assurance of Voluntary Compliance" (AVC) was produced by an ongoing, multi-state enforcement effort among the attorneys general, and incorporates "best practices" developed by the attorneys general in consultation with public health researchers and state and federal tobacco control officials. This AVC includes provisions for comprehensive training of retail personnel regarding laws prohibiting tobacco sales to minors and independent compliance checks to monitor sales practices at certain c-stores in Shell stations.
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