“Nearly two months later, there’s still confusion over who will enforce the federal law, and local governments are working to comply with it. With little direction, many Fargo area businesses have posted the new age in stores and trained staff to not sell to anyone under the age of 21. Now Fargo leaders are looking into writing local laws to match the federal mandate so that local law enforcement has authority to enforce the law. Typically, federal agents enforce federal laws, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes violators. Drew Wrigley, U.S. attorney for North Dakota, said his office hasn’t received guidance on how to handle the change. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to oversee enforcement of the new age requirement, according to handouts shown to Forum News Service by law agencies. Local police cannot enforce a federal law unless state and local governments pass their own legislation to match federal law. “We would only enforce it if the state of North Dakota changed the law,” said Fargo police spokeswoman Jessica Schindeldecker. Discussions on how the city of Fargo can update its ordinances to raise the age for buying tobacco are in early stages, Anenson said Friday, Feb. 14, during a Fargo Cass Public Health Board meeting.”
ARTICLE LINK:
Trump hiked the tobacco-buying age to 21. Now amid confusion, Fargo mulls how to proceed
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