Assurances of Voluntary Compliance: California's success story as a model

Audience: Tobacco control professionals, researchers, law enforcement personnel, particularly those interested in the interplay between tobacco control and law enforcement. Key Points: California’s compliance with the prohibition on tobacco sales to minors improved significantly over the last decade with overall yearly compliance rates going from 72.6% in 2000 to 84.9% in 2010 and to 86.3% for 2011 through September. Compliance was determined by results in governmental inspections using underage mystery shoppers. We believe that the improvement statewide is a result primarily of national Agreements of Voluntary Compliance (AVCs) entered into between State Attorneys General and fourteen large, national retail chains including Walgreens, Exxon Mobile, ARCO, WalMart, Rite Aid, Circle K, and 7-Eleven. Compliance rates among the chain stores ranged from 82.7% in 2008 when the AVCs were enacted to 88.6% in September 2011. Educational Experience: Presenter will explain the importance of invoking state consumer protection authority to obtain the cooperation of retailers in creating and maintaining appropriate safeguards ("best practices") to prevent sales to minors. Key aspects of the agreements with the retail chains will be presented. Benefits: The effectiveness of the AVC model is demonstrable in reducing the incidence of sales to minors and can be replicated by state or local law enforcement entities in cooperation with tobacco control advocates.