OLYMPIA - Shell Oil Co. and joint venture company Motiva Enterprises LLC have agreed to crack down on cigarette sales to minors at nearly 600 gas stations in Washington State.

Attorney General McKenna made the announcement on Wednesday.

"You can't smoke them if you can't get them," said McKenna. "We're targeting the places we know that kids are likely to go for cigarettes."

State law prohibits tobacco sales to minors.

The plan provides for comprehensive training of retail clerks about laws prohibiting tobacco sales to minors, independent compliance checks to monitor sales practices at convenience stores at Shell stations, and potential sanctions against operators that sell tobacco to minors.

Nationwide, 47 percent of minors who reported buying cigarettes said they got them at gas station convenience stores.

Shell and Motiva supply gasoline through approximately 14,000 gas stations in the U.S., 13,000 of which are in states participating in the agreement. Many of these gas stations include independently operated convenience stores that sell tobacco products.

Studies show that most adult smokers began smoking before the age of 18 and that young people are particularly susceptible to the hazards of tobacco, often showing signs of addiction after smoking only a few cigarettes.