PHOENIX – Attorney General Kris Mayes has gone to court trying to shut down two Valley smoke shop businesses for repeatedly selling tobacco products to minors.
The complaints against New York Smoke Shop in Chandler and Pro Source — which has three locations — assert that both have a history of selling such products to minors either knowingly, after confirming their age, or by failing to check IDs.
She is seeking injunctions to permanently prevent the businesses and their owners from any involvement in the tobacco industry in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
“Multiple children aged 16 to 17 were allowed to purchase e-cigarettes and cartridges successfully from these vape shops with no request for ID,†Mayes said at a news conference Tuesday.
Under federal law, tobacco and nicotine products may not be sold to anyone under 21. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ sets that age at 18, though Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a new law on June 27, bumping that to 21. The change will take effect in late September.
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Ahmed Alsaidi, a manager at New York Smoke Shop, told Cronkite ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ that the violations Mayes cited as justification for shutting down the business occurred under a previous manager.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Attorney General Kris Mayes holds a smoking product designed to look like a toy car during a recent news conference, Â calling it an example of how vape shops market to minors.
“Since the beginning of this year until now, we didn’t have any tickets,†he said. “We never sell until we check IDs. For almost a year, we’ve checked IDs, and we printed a notification paper everywhere, ‘We need to check ID before you buy anything.’â€
New York Smoke Shop failed undercover inspection 83% of the time over the last three years, Mayes said. Pro Source had a failure rate of 67%.
That compares to a statewide average of just 13% since 2016 for tobacco retailers.
At the Pro Source shop in Scottsdale, manager Tim Sanders said he was unaware of any complaints being filed or of any allegations about the store selling to minors.
“I don’t know anything about it,†he said Tuesday.
A sampling of vaping and smoking products that ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Attorney General Kris Mayes says are marketed to children are displayed during a recent news conference.
Pro Source’s owner did not return a message. During a follow-up attempt on Thursday, an employee who refused to identify himself said that “we’re uninterested in giving feedback.â€
Joel Daum, manager of Pro Source’s Glendale location, said one complaint alleged that the store didn’t post the age minimum on the door.
“I know that there was something said about us not having ‘21’ on the door – which is labeled clearly all over the entire store – but other than that, that’s about all I know,†Daum said.
The state attorney general’s office has enlisted underage volunteers for years as part of its Counter Strike program. The teens work with an enforcement agent in sting operations, trying to buy tobacco and vaping products.
In one case Mayes highlighted, a law enforcement officer saw an employee at New York Smoke Shop sell a nicotine product to a customer who had admitted being only 16.
Izabella Gutierrez, a 19-year-old Grand Canyon University student who has volunteered in the Counter Strike program, said clerks usually turned her away when she tried to buy products undercover but vape shops were more likely to sell to her knowing her age than were larger stores such as Target or Walmart.
“They would check, and usually they would decline me,†she said. “In some cases, I would get a sale where they’ll check knowingly and input the date of birth that is incorrect.â€
Mayes accused smoke and vape shops of marketing to children, displaying Stitch and Grogu paraphernalia.
“It’s clear that this is targeted at young people,†Mayes said. “These other businesses are passing the inspections and apparently not selling these or not getting caught selling these to kids. But what I want the vape shops and smoke shops to understand is that our eyes are on you.â€
Andrew “Bud†Meister, owner of Bud’s Glass Joint, said he and most people he knows in the industry comply with legal age restrictions and support the sting operations. Bud’s Glass Joint passed its most recent inspection, he said.
But he took issue with Mayes’ characterization of the paraphernalia, asserting that such products are meant to appeal to customers’ sense of nostalgia — adult customers.
“Our goal is to generate revenue for the business, but we want to comply with laws,†he said. “I think there’s an industry stigma. I grew up playing Mario on Nintendo, and that resonates with me as an adult. So, it’s nostalgia, it’s marketing.â€
Cronkite ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Reporter Eddie McCoven contributed to this article. For more stories from Cronkite ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, visit .
