Washington, DC -Robert J. Spagnoletti, Attorney General for the District of Columbia, today announced that the District of Columbia and 40 states have entered into an agreement with 7-Eleven Inc. to reduce the sale of tobacco products to minors at over 5,000 stores across the nation, including 22 stores in the District of Columbia.
7-Eleven is one of the nation's largest sellers of tobacco products, and under the new agreement, will implement procedures at company-owned stores to restrict the type and placement of tobacco displays to minimize their visibility and appeal to children. The company will also improve the procedures it uses to check the ages of tobacco purchasers, including a requirement that purchasers show picture IDs if they appear to be under the age of 27.
The agreement with 7-Eleven is the District's third such agreement in an ongoing multistate enforcement effort to curb retailers' sales of tobacco products to minors. Previous retailer agreements with the District covered Rite Aid stores, and gas stations and convenience stores operating under the Exxon and Mobil brand names.
"Attorneys General have long recognized that kids who have access to tobacco products ranks among the most serious public health problems facing this country," said Mr. Spagnoletti. "We can at least reduce that risk by making sure retailers are held accountable for the ways in which tobacco products are displayed and sold to young people."