Attorney General announces agreement with Shell Oil to curb tobacco sales to minors
47 Attorneys General Sign Agreement, Covering More Than 13,000 Shell Outlets
October 14, 2008 -- Attorney General Steve Six today announced that he has joined the Attorneys General of 46 other jurisdictions (45 states and the District of Columbia) in an agreement with Shell Oil Products US and its joint venture Motiva Enterprises LLC to curb the sales of cigarettes to minors.
Shell and Motiva supply gasoline through approximately 14,000 gas stations in the U.S., more than 13,000 of which are in states joining this agreement. Many of these gas stations include independently operated convenience stores that sell items including tobacco products. Shell and Motiva have agreed to adopt procedures designed to reduce sales of cigarettes to minors at these locations, although they do not directly own or operate the convenience stores at Shell stations.
"With this agreement, Shell joins the growing list of companies demonstrating their commitment to lead efforts against youth access to tobacco, in Kansas and nationwide," Six said. "By requiring compliance with the law and limiting access to cigarettes, we help stop kids from smoking. Preventing children from smoking benefits children, the state of Kansas, and every person in between," AG Six said.
Nationwide, 47 percent of underage youths who reported buying cigarettes have said they did so at gas station convenience stores. Kansas law prohibits tobacco sales to minors.
The Shell "Assurance of Voluntary Compliance" (AVC) was produced by an ongoing, multi-state enforcement effort among the Attorneys General, and incorporates "best practices" developed by the Attorneys General in consultation with public health researchers and state and federal tobacco control officials. This AVC includes provisions for comprehensive training of retail personnel regarding laws prohibiting tobacco sales to minors, independent compliance checks to monitor sales practices at certain convenience stores at Shell stations, and potential sanctions against contract operators that sell tobacco to minors, among other terms.
In addition to the Shell AVC, Kansas is party to eight other multi-state agreements that cover gas station convenience stores selling fuel under the Conoco, Phillips 66 or 76, Exxon, and Mobil brand names, and retail and pharmacy chains Kroger, 7-Eleven, Walgreens, CVS, and Wal-Mart. Along with the Shell AVC, each of these AVCs is posted on the Attorney General's web page.
Studies show that most adult smokers began smoking before the age of 18, and that young people are particularly susceptible to the hazards of tobacco, often showing signs of addiction after smoking only a few cigarettes.
"We commend Shell for joining us in this important ongoing effort to keep tobacco out of the hands of young people," AG Six said. "Much remains to be done in the battle against childhood addiction to tobacco, but agreements like this one make an important contribution."