With smoke shops popping up in Perry right and left, the Perry Police Department has pledged to keep tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor products our of the hands of Perry underage persons by taking the I-PLEDGE, the department announced Thursday.
The I-PLEDGE program is a partnership with Iowa Department of Revenue that aims to educate local retailers and to enforce Iowa’s tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor products laws.
“I-PLEGE’s retailer training is a great way for clerks to prepare themselves to refuse illegal tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor product sales,” said Perry Police Department Chief James Archer. “The training also assists retailers to ensure they maintain a compliant and responsible establishment.”
The program started in 2000 and now has a statewide tobacco compliance rate of 91%. By participating in the program, the Perry Police Department said it is committed to increasing the compliance rate even more this year.
I-PLEDGE places emphasis on retailer training. Clerks who successfully complete an online training course and pass an exam become I-PLEDGE-certified. This allows a retail establishment to use an affirmative defense against a civil penalty, if the certified clerk makes an illegal sale.
Officers will also be conducting compliance checks on local establishments as part of the I-PLEDGE program. Underage customers, supervised by law enforcement officers, will enter establishments and attempt to buy tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor products. Clerks who make the illegal sale will be cited on the spot.
Criminal penalties for selling tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor products to a minor include a $135 fine for the first offense, a $325 fine for a second offense and a $645 fine for a third and subsequent offenses. However, handing out citations is not the intent of the I-PLEDGE program.
“By partnering with the Iowa Department of Revenue, we hope to educate clerks and maintain a compliant retail environment in our community,” Archer said. “Moreover, we pledge to help keep tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor products out of the hands of underage person in Iowa.”
For more information or to take the I-PLEDGE training, or search certification records, go to the Iowa Department of Revenue website.