Community Action for Healthy Living recently shared data showing that 99% of Wisconsin retailers who asked for ID avoided making an underage sale, and they also found that roughly two-thirds of retailers who did not check ID to verify age went on to inadvertently make a sale to an underage buyer.
“As a result of their commitment, Community Action for Healthy Living is happy to report that at the end of 2025, none of the Oconto County tobacco retailers were found to have sold to buyers under the age of 21, according to related local data,” said Emma Kane, executive director.
Wisconsin retailers that checked IDs to verify the purchaser’s age, were more than 200% as likely to avoid an underage tobacco sale than retailers who did not check ID.
For six years, 21 has been the federal legal sales age for the U.S. The federal law applies to all states, U.S. territories, and tribal jurisdictions. The federal law includes electronic nicotine delivery systems, including e-cigarettes, vapes, and e-liquids, along with cigarettes, cigars, pipe and hookah tobacco, smokeless tobacco and other commercial tobacco products like nicotine pouches, dissolvables, and nicotine gels.
“These new data backs up the Wisconsin Wins core message that when retailers check IDs every time a customer attempts a tobacco purchase, they help keep tobacco products out of young people’s hands while making sure to avoid fines and penalties” said Kane.
Signage for the federal law and other materials are available for retailers to order at dhs.wisconsin.gov/tobacco/tobacco21, and free training for employees on federal and state tobacco sales law is available at witobaccocheck.org.
