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Merchant Sales Compliance Initiative
Tobacco Merchant Education Mini-Grants Now Available:
The Frederick County Health Department’s Tobacco Sales Compliance Program invites community organizations to apply for a Tobacco Merchant Education mini-grant. Grants of up to $2,450.00 are being made available to community organizations in Frederick County to be used to conduct visits to tobacco merchants to provide education regarding the laws related to tobacco sales, including e-cigarettes. All funded activities must be completed by Thursday, December 31, 2020. The application deadline is Monday, September 28, 2020. Please see documents below:
Merchant Sales Compliance Checks
For Alcohol Merchants
Alcohol merchants play an important role in assisting to keep communities safe by selling alcohol responsibly. There are numerous local resources available to assist businesses with preventing sales of alcohol to underage youth or intoxicated patrons.
For a listing of local trainings specifically for alcohol merchants, please visit the Frederick County Liquor Board (https://frederickcountymd.gov/1291/Liquor-Board )
Educational resources, including ID Checking Guides, magnifying loops, and lights are provided, when available, to assist in accurately identifying a patron’s legal age to consume alcohol.
Compliance checks of alcohol merchants are conducted to ensure compliance with local and state alcohol laws and reduce retail access of alcohol to underage youth. Funding for compliance checks is provided by the Maryland Department of Health.
The Frederick County Health Department would like to thank the alcohol merchants for their efforts to promote responsible beverage service in Frederick County.
For Tobacco Merchants
***Effective October 1, 2019: Retailers can only sell tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, e-liquids and accessories, to individuals who are at least 21 years old. Retailers must verify customer age with a driver’s license or government-issued ID.
Effective December 20, 2019, the federal minimum age of sale of tobacco products was also raised from 18 to 21. There is no military exemption according to federal law.***
Retailers are an important part of our communities, providing goods and services to residents of all ages. Licensed tobacco retailers are uniquely positioned to act responsibly and help reduce and eliminate underage access to tobacco products in Maryland.
Tobacco retailers are required by law to:
- Ask for photo ID for everyone under 27.
- Check to make sure everyone is at least 21 years old
- Refuse to sell tobacco and e-cigarettes products to everyone under 21.
Protect yourself and your business by being familiar with youth access laws, penalties for violating those laws and how you and your employees can prevent sales to minors. Check out this helpful resource for more information: