NDHB Smokefree Officer, Jo Dones said the Act is not new legislation and retailers should be aware that selling tobacco product to children is in breach of the Act. This operation revealed that a number of retailers have poor systems in place and considerable improvement is required to avoid further breaches.
"If they look under 25, ask for photo identification. No photo identification, no sale. Make sure the age is calculated correctly when ID is produced. This will prevent sales to our underage children," Ms Dones said.
All information relating to the sales of tobacco product to the underage volunteers has been forwarded to the Ministry of Health further action. This may include fines or prosecutions and repeat offenders being ordered unable to sell tobacco products. The maximum fine for selling to minors is up to $2,000.
CPO's are conducted as required by the Ministry of Health, using under aged volunteers who attempt to purchase tobacco products from retailers under controlled conditions.