Notice: These retyped excerpts from the R.I. General Laws relating to tobacco appear here as a convenience for visitors to our website, may be subject to typographical errors, and are not intended to be used as the basis for legal action.
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TITLE 11
Criminal Offenses
CHAPTER 11-9
Children
§ 11-9-13 Purchase, sale or delivery of tobacco products to persons under eighteen – Posting notice of law. – No person under eighteen (18) years of age shall purchase nor shall any person sell, give or deliver to any person under eighteen (18) years of age any tobacco in the form of cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, or snuff. Any person, firm, or corporation that owns, manages, or operates a place of business in which tobacco products are sold, including sales through cigarette vending machines, shall post notice of this law conspicuously in such place of business in letters at least three-eighths of an inch ( 3/8") high.
§ 11-9-13.1 Cigarette and tobacco vending machines. – (a) No cigarettes nor any other tobacco product shall be sold from any device or vending machine which is in an area not continuously supervised and in direct line of sight of an authorized person employed by the person, firm, or corporation that owns the business occupying the premises in which the device or vending machine is located, nor shall any tobacco product be sold from any device or vending machine which is in an area supervised by such an authorized person unless such device or vending machine is equipped with an electronic locking device which will not allow the device or vending machine to dispense a pack of cigarettes, or any other tobacco product, unless it is electronically unlocked from a secured position inaccessible to the public and under the supervision of an authorized person employed by the person, firm, or corporation that owns the business occupying the premises in which the device or vending machine is located. Provided, however, a locking device shall not be required in an establishment licensed to sell alcoholic beverages which limits access to persons over the age of twenty one (21) years.
(b) No cigarettes nor any other tobacco product shall be sold from any device or vending machine from which non-tobacco products are sold.
(c) No cigarettes shall be sold in packs which contain less than twenty (20) cigarettes.
(d) Any person, firm, or corporation who owns a business occupying the premises in which a device or vending machine which dispenses cigarettes or any other tobacco product is located who shall violate any of the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) shall for the first offense be subject to a fine of seventy-five dollars ($75.00), for the second offense, be subject to a fine of one hundred fifty dollars ($150), and for the third and any subsequent offense, be subject to a fine of five hundred dollars ($500), provided, however, that in the event that there are no offenses in three (3) successive years from the date of the last offense, then the next offense shall be treated as the first offense.
(e) Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate subsection (c) shall for the first offense be subject to a fine of seventy-five dollars ($75.00), for the second offense, be subject to a fine of one hundred fifty dollars ($150), and for the third and any subsequent offense, be subject to a fine of five hundred dollars ($500), provided, however, that in the event that there are no offenses in three (3) successive years from the date of the last offense, then the next offense shall be treated as the first offense.
(f) One-half (1/2) of all the fines collected pursuant to this section shall be transferred to the municipalities in which the citations originated. One-half (1/2) of all the fines collected pursuant to this section shall be transferred to the general fund.
(g) Severability. If any provisions of this section or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the act, which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this section are declared to be severable.