News Release
December 13, 2006
News Release Contact:
Becky Gettings - (804) 213-4419
E-mail: pubrel@abc.virginia.gov
ABC Works to Prevent the Selling and Serving of Alcohol & Tobacco Products to Underage Youth
A person attempting to buy alcohol may be an underage operative or they may be a teen attempting to purchase alcohol or tobacco. No matter what the situation, selling and serving alcoholic beverages and tobacco products to underage youth is a serious crime that carries consequences including a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to $2,500 and a year in jail.
The Underage Buyer Program at The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) measures compliance. Special agents, who are sworn police officers from ABC's Bureau of Law Enforcement, accompany the program's underage operatives during attempts to purchase cigarettes or alcohol at grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants and other businesses. The operatives are instructed not to alter their appearance or mannerisms, or mislead clerks in any way while attempting to make a purchase. Operatives carry their own valid identification. If the store clerk asks for ID, the underage buyer presents his or her valid identification. If the clerk asks for the operative's age, the underage buyer states it in a clear, audible voice.
"As a public safety agency, ABC partners with licensees and its own store employees to form an alliance for compliance," said Esther Vassar, Chairwoman of the ABC Board. "Preventing the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products by underage youth is paramount in achieving a safe, orderly and regulated system in Virginia."
Director of Bureau of Law Enforcement Francis J. Monahan reports that ABC agents conducted 5,891 alcohol compliance checks of licensees and 319 checks of ABC stores during Fiscal Year 2006. Alcohol compliance rates for retail establishments were 87 percent. ABC found that in 56.2 percent of the violations, the retail licensee's employee checked the underage buyer's valid ID and completed the sale. Alcohol compliance rates for ABC stores were 97 percent. ABC found that in 37.5 percent of the violations the ABC store's employee checked the underage buyer's valid ID and completed the sale.
Also during Fiscal Year 2006, ABC special agents conducted 4,685 tobacco compliance checks. Tobacco Synar compliance rates are calculated from May 1 to September 30 of each year, and tobacco retailers had a compliance rate of 90 percent in 2006. The Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services is the recipient of a federal substance abuse prevention and treatment block grant. Synar compliance is a federal mandate for continuation of this grant. Additionally, the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation provides some funding for ABC's Tobacco Underage Buyer Program.
The selling and serving of alcoholic beverages is a privilege that can be jeopardized if an employee is found guilty of selling and serving alcohol or tobacco products to underage youth. Whether the underage buyer is an operative or a teen attempting to purchase alcohol or tobacco, according to ABC, the sale must be prevented.