An Arizona vape shop will be required to pay nearly half-a-million dollars after Attorney General Kris Mayes sued the business for selling tobacco products to minors.
Mayes filed a civil complaint against the Pro Source vape shops in July, saying, during undercover operations, multiple 16- and 17-year-olds were able to purchase e-cigarettes and cartridges from the shops without being asked to show their ID. The company’s three Arizona locations had a 67% failure rate during these inspections. The average failure rate among Arizona tobacco retailers is 13%, the Attorney General’s Office said.
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge in December issued a judgment that will require the shops to pay $460,000 in restitution, civil penalties and attorneys’ fees. Pro Source shops will also be required to adopt strict age-verification policies. And the shops will be prohibited from selling products resembling candy or using advertising that specifically appeals to minors.
“More than 95% of adult tobacco users started before the legal age, and we know how quickly nicotine addiction can take hold,” Mayes said in a press release. “Retailers that sell these products have a legal and moral responsibility to make sure they are not putting Arizona’s youth at risk.”
Another lawsuit against a second retailer targeted during the same July crackdown is still ongoing.
Arizona last year passed a law to raise the age to buy or possess tobacco products from 18 to 21, which is also the federal age.
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