THE RETAILERS ASSOCIATION OF MASSACHUSETTS IS PROUD TO WORK WITH THE COALITION FOR RESPONSIBLE TOBACCO RETAILING TO PROMOTE THE WELL-KNOWN WE CARD PROGRAM AND DIRECT RETAILERS TO THE INFORMATION AND MATERIALS NEEDED TO HELP PREVENT UNDERAGE TOBACCO SALES.

The Coalition for Responsible Tobacco Retailing is committed to helping retailers enforce minimum age laws for the purchase of tobacco products.  What began as a small training and education program in a few states has blossomed into a nationwide training effort for retailers.  We Card has held over 2,000 classroom training sessions in all 50 states in the U.S. and U.S. territories. Nearly 200,000 owners, managers, and frontline employees have been trained, and over 1 million We Card kits have been distributed to retailers nationwide. While most of their materials apply to tobacco law, many of their items also apply to the legal age to purchase alcohol.

To learn more about CRTR, register to take We Card's Free Behind-the-Counter Online Training or order signage, age calculation and training materials, go to www.wecard.org.

Below is a partial listing of some of the materials available to retailers. For a more complete listing of available materials please contact the coalition at 800-934-3968 or www.WeCard.org.

Age-of-Purchase Sticker - Displays the most recent year a customer's valid ID can show in order to legally purchase tobacco. Born After This Date? NO TOBACCO.

Age-of-Purchase Calendar - This proven age calculation tool displays the most recent date a customer's valid ID can show in order to legally purchase tobacco. Born After This Date? NO TOBACCO.

Counter Sign - Prominently displaying the We Card message right at the point-of-sale, this Counter Sign also effectively reminds employees to ask for ID on the backside.

Employee Activity Book - Workbook used by retail trainers to teach frontline employees how to prevent underage sales.

Training Posters  - This series of posters reinforces important tobacco sales training in a fun, informative way. They're perfect for your store's break room, bulletin board, or anywhere you have reference materials for your employees.

• “Now what?“ Poster gives clerks a refresher course on how to handle and check ID.
• “Can you guess my age?“ Poster that it's always best to “Think 27“ and ask for ID.
• “What do you say?“ Poster gives tips on handling customers who don't have an ID .