Arizona Attorney General Sues Two Vape Shops for Repeated Sales to Minors

Key Points:

·Legal basis: Two tobacco shops in the United States were repeatedly selling tobacco and e-cigarette products to minors, knowingly selling to underage individuals without verifying identification. 

·Age restrictions: Federal law mandates a minimum purchasing age of 21, while Arizona will raise its local restriction from 18 to 21 in late September. 

·Violation rates discrepancy: The "New York Smoke Shop" and "Pro Source" involved had secret non-compliance rates of 83% and 67% respectively, far exceeding the statewide average of 13%. 

·Progress of the case: The Attorney General is seeking a permanent injunction to prohibit the involved shops and owners from operating in the tobacco industry in Arizona; the involved parties may argue that the violations occurred in the past, have since been corrected, or claim ignorance. 

·Background measures: The state Attorney General recruited underage volunteers through the "Counter Strike" program to conduct surprise inspections and monitor tobacco sales to minors.

【2Firsts News Flash】According to Cronkite News on July 10th, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has filed a lawsuit attempting to shut down two smoke shops in the Valley area for repeatedly selling tobacco products to minors.

Both the "New York Smoke Shop" in Chandler City and the three-location "Pro Source" are facing allegations of selling such products to minors, either knowingly after verifying their age or without checking identification.

She is seeking an injunction to permanently prohibit these shops and their owners from participating in the tobacco industry in the state of Arizona.

"Several minors aged 16 to 17 were able to successfully purchase e-cigarettes and pods at these e-cigarette stores, with the employees not requesting to see any identification during the process."

Mays stated during the press conference on July 8th.

According to federal law, tobacco and nicotine products are not allowed to be sold to individuals under the age of 21. Previously, Arizona had set this age at 18, but Governor Katie Hobbs signed a new law on June 27 to raise the age restriction to 21. This change will go into effect in late September.

The manager of the "New York Smoke Shop," Ahmed Alsaidi, stated that the violations mentioned by Mayor Mes as the reason for closing the store occurred during the previous manager's tenure.

"Since the beginning of 2025, we have not received any fines. We never sell products without confirming identity. Over the past year, we have been regularly checking identification documents and have posted notices throughout the store stating 'ID required for all purchases.'"

Mays stated that in the past three years, "New York Smoke Shop" has had a non-compliance rate of 83% in secret inspections. "Pro Source" has had a non-compliance rate of 67%.

In contrast, the average non-compliance rate among tobacco retailers statewide has been only 13% since 2016.

At the "Pro Source" branch in Scottsdale, manager Tim Sanders stated that he was unaware of any complaints being submitted and was not aware of any allegations regarding the store selling products to minors.

The owner of the store "Pro Source" did not respond to messages. In follow-up communication on July 10, an employee who declined to provide their name stated, "We are not interested in commenting on this.

Joel Daum, the manager of the Pro Source Glendale location, has been accused of failing to post a sign indicating the minimum purchasing age on the door of the store.

"I know some people say there is no '21 and older' sign on our door - but in reality, the entire store is clearly marked - other than that, I don't know anything."

Dom said.

For years, the office of the state attorney general has been recruiting underage volunteers to participate in its "Counter Strike" program. These teenagers work alongside law enforcement officers to carry out sting operations, attempting to purchase tobacco and e-cigarette products.

In a case highlighted by Mays, a law enforcement officer witnessed an employee at "New York Smoke Shop" selling nicotine products to a customer who admitted to being only 16 years old.

Nineteen-year-old Grand Canyon University student Izabella Gutierrez, who participated in a voluntary "anti-terrorist attack plan," said that when she went undercover to try to purchase products, store clerks often refused to sell to her, but e-cigarette stores were more likely than Target or Walmart to sell to her despite knowing her age.

"They will check (identification), usually refuse me. But in some cases, they will knowingly input the wrong date of birth after checking the age requirements and complete the sale."

She said.

The mayor accuses tobacco and e-cigarette shops of targeting children with their marketing, displaying merchandise related to popular cartoon characters like Stitch and Groot.

"It is clear that this is targeted towards young people. Other companies have been able to pass inspection, clearly not selling these products to kids, or have not been caught selling to kids. But I want e-cigarette stores and smoke shops to understand that we are closely watching you."

Mes said.

The owner of Bud's Glass Joint, Andrew "Bud" Meister, stated that he and most people he knows in the industry abide by legal age restrictions and support such undercover operations.

However, he disagreed with Mei's description of the surrounding products, stating that such products are aimed at evoking a sense of nostalgia in customers - adult customers.

"Our goal is to create revenue for the store, but we also want to abide by the law. I believe there is a stigma in this industry. I grew up playing Nintendo's 'Mario,' and as an adult, it resonates with me. So, it's a form of nostalgia, a marketing strategy."

He said.