Kodiak’s Wal-Mart received a suspension on selling tobacco products earlier in the week that will last through March 1, said Jennifer Spall, Wal-Mart public affairs manager for Alaska. The reason for the suspension was a tobacco sale to a minor, who is defined by Alaska law as under age 19.

According to Spall’s account, a minor approached a Wal-Mart clerk and, when asked for ID, and presented an identification with a minor’s age. That clerk accidentally keyed in the wrong age, which was a legal age, and the minor purchased the product.

Beginning Feb. 1, Spall said Alaska’s Wal-Marts will begin instituting an “ID all” policy, where all patrons will be asked for ID for tobacco and alcohol products regardless of age. The past policy, according to posted signs at Kodiak’s entrance, has been to ask for ID up to age 27.

Some Alaska stores have already had the policy, said Spall, because correctly asking for identification is “a topic that comes up routinely in Alaska, especially with alcohol.”

“There might be some initial complaints, but in most areas the policy has been very well-received,” said Spall.

She said suspensions of this kind have been rare throughout the state.

In most states, the legal smoking age is 18, with a few exceptions of age 19 in Alaska, Alabama, New Jersey, Utah and some counties in the state of New York.

According to the 2008 Synar Report, an annual document written by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that provides youth tobacco access information, operations to enforce youth access policy to products like cigarettes use recruited “student interns” who must look and act their age. They are instructed not to entice an employee to sell through word or action, and must be truthful about their age and present an ID when requested.

Mandatory asking for identification is not required by law in Alaska for rated-R movies or mature video games as it is in other states. The discretion is up to the employee.

Mirror writer Bradley Zint can be reached via e-mail at bzint@kodiakdailymirror.com.