According to recent FDA reports, there have been over 1,200 retailers cited by the agency for breaking federal tobacco laws.
Warning letters were sent to retailers in 15 different states. The FDA claims that since they started inspections under the new 2009 law, they have violated many regulations. Center for Tobacco Products inside the FDA has conducted over 27,000 inspections of stores that sell tobacco products. They seek to lower the number of smoking-related illnesses.
Officials from the Center for Tobacco Products claim that most smokers begin to smoke at a very young age. Most of the time it even starts when the kid is not old enough to buy his or her own cigarettes. The retail community must be the first one to act in accordance to the law and respect and uphold smoking age restrictions.
Most of the citations unfortunately regarded the infringement of laws related to selling tobacco to minors. As soon as the warning letter is received, the retailer must respond in 15 days explaining how they intend to address the alleged violations.
As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney I hope that all retailers that have been cited by the FDA will be able to respond to the letters in a timely manner. Minors should not be allowed to be close to tobacco in any situation, it is against the law. Personal injury lawyers can assist you if you’re ever the victim in a product liability case.