2 Arizona vape retailers 'persistently and recklessly' sell to underage buyers, AG complaint says

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office is cracking down on vape shops that sell tobacco to minors.

The Attorney General’s Office has filed civil complaints against two vape retailers that prosecutors say “most persistently and recklessly” sell tobacco and nicotine products to underage consumers.

The complaints were filed against against New York Smoke Shop LLC and Pro Source Supply LLC, Pro Source Vapes LLC, and Pro Source CBD LLC (collectively, “Pro Source”) and their ownership/management, officials said in a press release Tuesday.

AG spokesperson Richie Taylor says the agency conducts a program called Counter Strike, one where teen volunteers attempt to purchase products. The AG's Office said children as young as 16 were able to buy e-cigarettes and cartridges from the shops during the operation.

"They go in and attempt to purchase nicotine or tobacco products and we check for compliance. Whether they’re being asked for ID, whether a cell transaction is completed, that type of thing. And those are undercover investigations," said Taylor.

The AG's Office also says the "shops also feature retail advertising displays highlighting bold colors and themes that are designed to appeal to youth." Officials released a photo of the interior of New York Smoke Shop "decorated with graphic, cartoon-like images and writing in a graffiti style."

Fifty-one percent of Arizona high schoolers have admitted to vaping, the AG Office says.

Taylor says in recent years both shops being sued have failed investigations close to 70% of the time by not checking IDs, and sometimes ignoring buyers who explicitly state their age as 16.