Tobacco Sales to Minors

According to a national retail compliance survey commissioned by Health Canada in 2014, Alberta has the highest rate of illegal tobacco sales to minors of any province.¹

In 2014, the Alberta government developed new provincial restrictions on tobacco products.  However not all of these policies have been fully implemented and no enforcement body has been assigned to actively enforce the new legislation. A comprehensive approach including active enforcement of tobacco sales to minors’ regulation will help prevent youth tobacco use.

Active enforcement of youth access to tobacco restrictions using underage test shoppers is a best practice and is key to reducing tobacco sales to minors.²

Another important best practice is effective signage and tobacco retail training.³ Higher compliance with sales-to-minors regulation coincides directly with a retailer’s willingness to ask for ID.⁴ Effective retail training improves retailer attitudes about the law and its enforcement while also helping retailers to establish the knowledge and skills needed to identify and refuse tobacco product sales to minors.⁵

Prohibiting underage store clerks from selling tobacco products would also likely decrease sales to minors since there is a direct correlation between the age of a clerk and the likelihood of selling to minors.⁶  

A telephone survey of 1,200 Albertans aged 18 and over conducted in 2016 revealed that 82% of respondents supported strengthening procedures to prevent illegal sales to minors. The 2016 Chronic Disease Prevention Survey was commissioned by the Alberta Policy Coalition for Chronic Disease Prevention.