Sec. 12-295a. Purchase by, or sale to, minors. Penalties. Suspension of licenses. Appeals.
Sec. 12-295a. Purchase by, or sale to, minors. Penalties. Suspension of licenses.
Appeals. (a) If the Commissioner of Revenue Services finds, after a hearing, that a
minor has purchased cigarettes or tobacco products, said commissioner shall assess such
minor a civil penalty of not more than one hundred dollars for the first violation and
not more than one hundred fifty dollars for any second or subsequent offense.
(b) If said commissioner finds, after a hearing, that any person employed by a dealer
or distributor, as defined in section 12-285, has sold, given or delivered cigarettes or
tobacco products to a minor other than a minor who is delivering or accepting delivery
in his capacity as an employee, said commissioner shall assess such person a civil penalty
of two hundred dollars for the first violation and two hundred fifty dollars for a second
or subsequent violation within eighteen months.
(c) If said commissioner finds, after a hearing, that any dealer or distributor has
sold, given or delivered cigarettes or tobacco products to a minor other than a minor
who is delivering or accepting delivery in his capacity as an employee, or such dealer
or distributor's employee has sold, given or delivered cigarettes or tobacco products to
such minor, said commissioner shall assess such dealer or distributor a civil penalty of
three hundred dollars for the first violation and seven hundred fifty dollars for a second
violation within eighteen months. For a third violation within eighteen months, such
dealer or distributor shall be assessed a civil penalty of seven hundred fifty dollars and
any license held by such dealer or distributor under this chapter shall be suspended for
not less than thirty days.
(d) If said commissioner finds, after a hearing, that any owner of an establishment
in which a cigarette vending machine or restricted cigarette vending machine is located
has sold, given or delivered cigarettes or tobacco products from any such machine to a
minor other than a minor who is delivering or accepting delivery in his capacity as an
employee, or has allowed cigarettes or tobacco products to be sold, given or delivered
to such minor from any such machine, said commissioner shall assess such owner a
civil penalty of five hundred dollars for the first violation and seven hundred fifty dollars
for a second violation within eighteen months. For a third violation within eighteen
months, such owner shall be assessed a civil penalty of seven hundred fifty dollars and
any such machine shall be immediately removed from such establishment and no such
machine may be placed in such establishment for a period of one year following such
removal.
(e) Any person aggrieved by any action of the commissioner pursuant to this section
may take any appeal of such action as provided in sections 12-311 and 12-312.
(P.A. 96-240, S. 6, 10; P.A. 07-175, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 96-240 effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 07-175 raised amounts of civil penalties in Subsecs. (a) to (d) and
made technical changes in Subsec. (d).