Education before enforcement: How Nevada is helping retailers prevent youth tobacco sales

Preventing youth tobacco use starts long before someone lights a cigarette or picks up a vape. One important step happens behind the checkout counter.

In the latest episode of Cancer Talks, Nevada Cancer Coalition sits down with Nicole Chacon of the Nevada Tobacco Control and Smoke-free Coalition and Nevada Cancer Coalition intern Beatrice Gyampo to discuss the Nevada Tobacco Retail Purchase Assessment Project. The initiative works with tobacco retailers across Nevada to improve compliance with state laws designed to prevent sales to people younger than 21.

Unlike formal compliance inspections conducted by the Nevada Attorney General's Tobacco Enforcement Unit, the retail assessment project is educational. Teams visit stores, observe whether clerks request and scan IDs and provide immediate education and resources when improvements are needed. The goal is to help retailers understand the law before violations lead to costly penalties.

The project also helps reach communities that may not receive regular enforcement visits, particularly rural areas. Since the program began, it has expanded into additional Nevada counties while continuing to revisit a sample of retailers each year to reinforce education and track progress.

Beatrice, who participated in retail visits throughout the state, said one of the biggest lessons was that many retailers want to do the right thing but may not fully understand Nevada's requirements. Some relied on posted signs instead of checking identification, while others asked customers their age without verifying it through an ID scan. Those moments became opportunities for education rather than punishment.

The conversation also highlights why these efforts matter. Most adults who smoke began using tobacco before age 18, making it critical to reduce youth access to tobacco products. By improving retailer compliance, the project helps protect young people while supporting businesses and employees with practical training and resources.

The episode also explores broader tobacco prevention strategies, including smoke-free environments, flavored tobacco policies, cessation support and the importance of protecting workers and communities from secondhand smoke.

To hear the full conversation and learn more about Nevada's tobacco prevention efforts, listen to this episode of Cancer Talks on NCC's Substack or wherever you get your podcasts.