We Card Readies for New Wave of Retail Requirements

ARLINGTON, Va. -- September is We Card Awareness Month and retailers are looking to We Card to help them stay current on their responsible retailing efforts to identify and prevent the sale of not only tobacco to minors, but also electronic cigarettes and other age-restricted products.

According to We Card, more than 40 states now prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to underage consumers. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed restricting the sale of e-cigarettes to minors as part of the deeming regulations the agency proposed in April.

 "We're ready to handle this new wave of retail requirements and deliver the employee training, in-store tools, signage and awareness-building efforts necessary so retailers can comply with the law," said Doug Anderson, president of We Card.

Retailers might be a little ahead in their preparation for this new wave of coming laws since We Card already adopted a policy that encourages retailers to treat e-cigarettes as an age-restricted product even though every state and the FDA have not done so yet.

One of We Card's founding board members, NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing, took a similar stance.

"We Card is preparing retailers to responsibly sell tobacco, e-cigarettes and any new age-restricted product category, which is 'on mission' since our launch 18 years ago. We Card is a staple of the industry and a significant resource that retailers have used to dramatically reduce youth access to tobacco," said Lyle Beckwith, senior vice president of government relations for NACS and a We Card board member.

Designated as We Card Awareness Month, September launches an awareness effort that ties in with the availability of 2015 We Card materials. Between now and the end of the year, retailers will be ordering the 2015 Age-of-Purchase Calendar  -- a daily reminder age-calculation tool -- and a variety of other point-of-sale tools and signage to equip their stores.

The iconic yellow and red logo, "UNDER 18, NO TOBACCO: WE CARD," has been prominently displayed at convenience stores and other top tobacco retailers for 18 years.

 The We Card Program Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in Arlington that represents a unified effort among trade associations, retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers.