The We Card program is celebrating 30 years of responsible retailing. “Thirty years ago, the We Card program launched with a mission: to help retailers prevent tobacco sales to minors. Since 1995, retail regulations have evolved dramatically. While challenges and enforcement measures have increased, the need for effective training, tools, and compliance support remains. As We Card celebrates 30 years, it continues to adapt and lead in responsible retailing,” We Card said.

Many state Governors are issuing proclamations and letters of support for September’s We Card Awareness Month, which helps raise the importance and priority of retailers’ responsible retailing of age-restricted products. Governors participating include Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont and West Virginia.

“In We Card’s early years, it focused on tools and classroom training. Today, we offer a comprehensive suite of state-specific training modules, digital courses for new hires and managers, compliance tools and awareness campaigns—all designed to meet the evolving challenges retailers face,” said Lyle Beckwith, senior vice president of government relations for NACS and a We Card founding board member. Over the years, We Card has distributed over 1.2 million kits, 7.1 million training tools and 6.1 million signage materials across the country.

However, while in-store violations have declined, youth are increasingly turning to friends, family and others for purchases. To combat this, We Card is launching public-facing campaigns to raise awareness and encourage adults to refrain from giving or buying on behalf of minors, engaging not just retailers, but entire communities with “Be A Real Influencer” and “We Card We Care” campaigns.

“Retailer compliance with underage access laws should be applauded. Most importantly, retailers and We Card (and our industry-wide stakeholders) aren’t standing still. More and more you will see ID scanning at the sales counter as new technologies are adopted to identify-and-deny underage purchase attempts. With new retail training tools, expanded awareness campaigns like ‘Be A Real Influencer’ and technology-driven solutions, retailers and We Card are ready to meet these challenges head-on,” We Card said.

We Card also unveiled the availability of its 2026 We Card materials on September 1 with 2026 Renewal Kits available for convenience stores who sell tobacco and vaping products and 2026 E-Vapor Kits for stores selling vaping products.