A pair of January training dates is giving people who serve alcohol and tobacco another chance to brush up on skills meant to keep the community safer.
According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in an online post, the department and Partnership Douglas County are offering Alcohol and Tobacco Server Training with two sessions still open, January 7, at 5 p.m., and January 12 at 5 p.m., at the Partnership Douglas County office at 1625 Hwy 88, Suite 104, in Minden.
People can register by calling 775-782-8611 or emailing jperalta@pdcnv.org.
The post notes the goal is to help servers stay sharp while supporting a healthier, safer Douglas County.
The training focuses on responsible service and the role businesses and employees play in reducing harm tied to alcohol and tobacco use.
The importance of that kind of education is echoed by the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH), which explains why training matters for both alcohol and tobacco sales. The division states, “In addition to parents, educators and health care providers, retail stores that sell commercial tobacco products, including e-cigarettes or vapes, play a crucial role in keeping the highly addictive drug, nicotine, out of the hands of youth.
The Nevada Tobacco Control Program and our Partner Coalitions and Health Districts have made working with commercial tobacco retailers a priority.”
The DPBH also says, “A free training and certification program has been developed and updated with the newest guidelines provided by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which provides essential education through a set of Learning Modules and concludes with a certification quiz.”
According to the division, “Every retail clerk, supervisor, manager, and business owner who completes the training and quiz becomes a State of Nevada Certified Responsible Tobacco Retailer.”
The agency adds that certification carries added responsibility and understanding, stating, “Becoming a Certified Responsible Tobacco Retailer in Nevada means you have acquired the knowledge and understanding of the importance in keeping nicotine-derived products like commercial cigarettes, cigars, dissolvables, hookah tobacco, nicotine gels, pipe tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, smokeless tobacco like Dip, Snuff, Snus and chewing tobacco, vapes, e-cigarettes, hookah pens and other Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) including e-juices and flavors, out of the hand of youth.”
It also notes, “You understand the likely health effects associated with nicotine-derived tobacco products on youth, including how it affects the developing brain of youth. You have also assumed the role of abiding by the Tobacco 21 Law and its regulations.”
While the statewide program covers tobacco sales, Douglas County officials are offering a local training that brings those broader principles together with alcohol service education, aiming to reduce risk for businesses, patrons, and the wider community.
(The Douglas County Sheriff's Office and The Division of Public and Behavioral Health contributed to this story.)
