A N A C T
RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- CHILDREN
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Sections 11-9-13, 11-9-13.4 and 11-9-14 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-9 entitled "Children" are hereby amended to read as follows:
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 may purchase nor may any other person sell, give, or deliver to that person, any tobacco in the form of cigarettes, bidi 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 conspicuously in that place of business a notice of this law in letters at least three-eighths of an inch ( 3/8") high.
11-9-13.4. Definitions -- As used in section 11-9-13.1 -- 11-9-13.19:
(1) "Court" means any appropriate district court of the state of Rhode Island;
(2) "Dealer" is synonymous with the term "retail tobacco products dealer";
(3) "Department of health" means the state health department, its employees, agents, or assigns;
(4) "Department of taxation" means the state taxation division, its employees, agents, or assigns;
(5) "License" is synonymous with the term "retail tobacco products dealer license";
(6) "License holder" is synonymous with the term "retail tobacco products dealer";
(7) "Person" means any individual person, firm, association, or corporation licensed as a retail dealer to sell tobacco products within this state;
(8) "Retail tobacco products dealer" means the holder of a license to sell tobacco products at retail;
(9) "Retail tobacco products dealer license" means a license to sell tobacco products at retail as issued by the department of taxation;
(10) "Spitting tobacco" also means snuff, powdered tobacco, chewing tobacco, dipping tobacco, pouch tobacco, or smokeless tobacco;
(11) "Tobacco product(s)" means any product containing tobacco, including bidi cigarettes as defined in subsection (13) which can be used for, but whose use is not limited to, smoking, sniffing, chewing, or spitting of the product; and
(12) "Underage individual" or "underage individuals" means any child under the age of eighteen (18) years of age.
(13) "Bidi cigarette" means any product that (i) contains tobacco that is wrapped in temburni or tender leaf or that is wrapped in any other material identified by rules of the Department of Health that is similar in appearance or characteristics to the temburni or tender leaf and (ii) does not contain a smoke filtering device.
11-9-14. Use of tobacco by minors -- No person under sixteen (16) eighteen (18) years of age shall smoke or chew tobacco in any form in any public street, place, or resort. Any person under sixteen (16) eighteen (18) years of age violating the provisions of this section shall be fined not more than five dollars ($5.00) for each offense.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.