Prevention Posters Now Available from ABC

Beginning May 1, ABC will issue two new posters designed to deter illegal sales of alcohol and tobacco products to approximately 17,000 establishments licensed to sell alcoholic beverages.

The posters, “We Don’t Sell to Underage” and “We Don’t Sell to Intoxicated Patrons” inform customers that sellers and servers follow ABC laws to protect the businesses they work for, promote public safety and safeguard customers. One poster focuses on denying sales of alcohol and tobacco to underage individuals; the other makes it clear that serving intoxicated patrons is against the law.

The posters are free and available through ABC’s regional offices and website. To order the posters, visit our Brochures & Other Resources web page.

The owners of Miller’s Neighborhood Market in Norfolk and Murphy’s Irish Pub in Virginia Beach generously allowed ABC to stage the poster photo shoots at their locations. Funding for the posters came from the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA) and the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (VDBHDS).

The business community in Virginia has an impressive record of voluntary compliance. Sellers and servers, who comprise the first line of defense against illegal sales, achieved a 90 percent rate for denying underage alcohol sales during the last three fiscal years. Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) special agents work in partnership with the licensee community to provide education, training and tools to further improve compliance and enhance community safety.