F

Michigan Grade Card

Population Covered:
9,953,480
Tobacco 21 Since:
July 22, 2022
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The Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation evaluated all current statewide Tobacco 21 laws for their alignment with best practices that lead to effective prevention of youth initiation of tobacco and nicotine products.

Best Practice:

Health Department or Designated Agency

Michigan Enforcement:

Michigan Dept of Health and Human Svcs

Best Practice:

Before distributing any tobacco product, the tobacco retailer or the tobacco retailer’s agent or employee shall verify that the purchaser is at least 21 years of age. Each tobacco retailer or tobacco retailer’s agent or employee shall examine the purchaser’s government-issued photographic identification if the purchaser appears to be under 30 years of age.

Michigan Enforcement:

Required: Yes

Best Practice:

The primary burden for sales to underage purchasers should fall on the retailer who is profiting from the sales of the product and not the purchaser or non-management employee.

Michigan Enforcement:
  • Retailer and Clerk
  • “Person”
Best Practice:
Provide authority for the state, county, or municipality to inspect tobacco retailers for compliance with MLSA 21 and a mandated minimum number of annual compliance checks. Model recommends two per year for every tobacco retail establishment.
Michigan Enforcement:

No compliance checks specified*

Best Practice:
The designated agency shall conduct compliance checks by engaging persons between the ages of 18 and 20 to enter the tobacco retail establishment to attempt to purchase tobacco products.
Michigan Enforcement:

Not specified

Best Practice:
A comprehensive tobacco retail license allows states and municipalities to regulate all tobacco retailers, fund enforcement programs, and create a penalty structure that suspends or revokes a license for retailers that continue to violate a MLSA 21 law.
Michigan Licensing:

No statewide TRL

Best Practice:
The fee for a tobacco retail sales license shall be set and used to cover the administrative cost for licensing administration, education and training, retail inspections, and unannounced compliance checks. The tobacco retail sales license fee should not exceed the cost of the regulatory program authorized beyond the statute/ordinance.
Michigan Licensing:

No

Best Practice:
An effective licensing system requires tobacco retailers to pay an annual license fee and allows it to be periodically adjusted. Fee must be adequate to cover License administration, education/training, and enforcement. An annual fee of lower than $300 is generally inadequate to fund a licensing program.
Michigan Licensing:

N/A

Best Practice:

Establish a civil penalty structure for violations rather than a criminal penalty structure.

Michigan Penalties:

Criminal

Best Practice:

36 months

Michigan Penalties:

N/A

Best Practice:

1st violation = $500
2nd violation = $750 and (7) day suspension
3rd violation = $1,000 and (30) day suspension
4th violation = $1000 and (3) year suspension

Michigan Penalties:

Sec. 1. (1) A person shall not sell, give, or furnish a tobacco product, vapor product, or alternative nicotine product to a minor, including, but not limited to, through a vending machine. A person who violates this subsection or subsection (8) is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine as follows:
(a) For a first offense, not more than $100.00.
(b) For a second offense, not more than $500.00.
(c) For a third or subsequent offense, not more than $2,500.00.

 

(2) A person who sells tobacco products, vapor products, or alternative nicotine products at retail shall post, in a place close to the point of sale and conspicuous to both employees and customers, a sign produced by the department of health and human services that includes the following statement:

The purchase of a tobacco product, vapor product, or alternative nicotine product by a minor under 21 years of age and the provision of a tobacco product, vapor product, or alternative nicotine product to a minor are prohibited by law. A minor who unlawfully purchases or uses a tobacco product, vapor product, or alternative nicotine product is subject to criminal penalties.

Best Practice:
An evidence-based, best practices tobacco MLSA 21 policy should focus penalties on the tobacco retailer who profits from the illegal sale rather than the youth who is likely addicted to the product. PUP laws may be unlikely to reduce youth smoking significantly.
Michigan Penalties:
  • Purchase
  • Use
  • Possession
Best Practice:

Local governments have a critical role in reducing the deadly toll of tobacco by regulating sales and restricting retailer access to youth for to these products to prevent use and addiction.
Tobacco 21 legislation should not introduce new tobacco control preemption, nor expand existing tobacco control preemption, and instead should be used as an opportunity to assert local authority or repeal existing tobacco control preemption.

Michigan Preemption:

Preemption exists

Best Practice:

A comprehensive definition will cover all current, known tobacco and nicotine products, which include not only cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco, but also products like pipes, rolling papers, electronic smoking devices, and other related devices. A strong definition will also be broad enough to capture future products.

Michigan Definitions:

Definition Comprehensive?
Yes