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USPS News – Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act

September 24th, 2014

blog_pact-act_usps-logoRecently, legislation entitled “Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act,”  was  passed by Congress that prevents shippers/mailers from using the U.S. Postal Service® to send tobacco related products.  Specifically, the U.S. Postal Service can no longer be used to ship any package containing smokeless tobacco or cigarettes.

Cigarettes, including roll-your-own tobacco, and smokeless tobacco are considered “nonmailable” matter, unless the shipment falls within certain exceptions.  For instance, cigars are not prohibited and may still be shipped and mailed without impact from PACT.  Other exceptions to this law include:

  • Alaska/Hawaii: Shipment entirely within Alaska or Hawaii.
  • Business/Regulatory Purposes: Shipments transmitted between verified and authorized tobacco industry businesses for business purposes, or between such businesses and federal or state agencies or regulatory purposes.
  • Certain Individuals: Infrequent, lightweight shipments mailed by age-verified adult individuals.
  • Consumer Testing/Public Health: Shipments of cigarettes sent by verified and authorized manufacturers to verified adult smokers age 21 and over for consumer testing purposed, and shipments sent by federal agencies to consumers for public health purposes.

Learn more about the PACT Act from the USPS site.

  1. MOOSETER
    August 7th, 2010 at 16:19 | #1

    Hi my name is RICK
    I AM AN UNEMPLOYED SMOKER, I ALWAYS BOUGHT CIGS LOCALY, BUT THE PRICE ALMOST TRIPLED IN ABOUT ONE YEAR!
    I WAS FORCED TO LOOK FOR A CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE!
    ONLINE CIGS WAS THE ANSWER!
    NOW I AM CUT OFF LIKE MILLIONS OF US!!, WHATS NEXT???

  2. Brian K
    August 6th, 2010 at 09:45 | #2

    I agree this is all about taxes.
    If they wanted to make sure mail order tobacco doesn’t get to kids all they needed to do was require that all tobacco (and they didn’t even need to exclude cigars here) deliveries get an adult signature. All shipping services have this as an option for delivery including the post office.

  3. Katie
    August 4th, 2010 at 12:40 | #3

    I feel especially sorry for the Native Americans, that have been providing tobacco products through the mail. This has hit them very hard and as usual, we stand back and allow the government to inflict further harm on the Native population.

    This is a way to tax and spend some more! The government is really not interested in health.

  4. August 3rd, 2010 at 19:34 | #4

    This opens up many other things that are mailed worldwide and not taxed on a local level. This is not just about taxes but sets a precedent for the government controlling us in a way that the constitution did not intend.

    Leave it up to the states, or to USPS.

    What is next, don’t allow internet businesses to ship either.

  5. Diane B
    July 31st, 2010 at 12:37 | #5

    Come on smokers, haven’t you had enough of this war against us? Tax, tax, and more taxes!! Why is Cigars and Pipe Tobacco exempt, because most the “LAW MAKERS” in the Senate and Congress, that’s what they smoke!!! If we all quit smoking, what or where do you think they will pass on those taxes to? How about alcohol. That’s legal too,so lets let them pass all sorts of new laws on alcohol, and you can’t drink in bars, any public building, you know what I mean.

    What rights do we have left? Not many because we all sit back and just let this small group of #@@#% pass and take from us every single day our rights as human beings on this planet. Lets all get along and let your neighbor, friends, loved ones do what they want as long as we don’t hurt each other. We are only here for a short time. Can’t we just enjoy life? OH and you can mail alot more scary stuff in the mail than cigarettes!!!

  6. Matt
    July 28th, 2010 at 08:10 | #6

    I am in the military and rely on mail ordered snuff tobacco while I am overseas. How is it that we can deploy to defend our rights and not have the right to order snuff tobacco. Other countries do not have smokeless tobacco so it is not an option to purchase it there.

  7. July 27th, 2010 at 22:27 | #7

    I think it is more about protecting the state’s tax on tabacco products in the down economy than it is protecting people. I don’t smoke.

  8. Jimmy
    July 22nd, 2010 at 18:20 | #8

    As a smoker this almost cost me a lot more, but the small time tobacco growers, who are really taking the hit are adapting. now i can still buy my tobacco it’s just labeled pipe tobacco instead. The tobacco industry wanted this law. All the small time farmers that want adapt will go bankrupted and tobacco industry will buy them up. Now they have the monopoly. It was like a trade jack the taxes but give us the little guys.

    I’m willing to bet there where very few “kids” getting it from the mail compaired to a 7/11

  9. July 17th, 2010 at 06:06 | #9

    I don’t think this is right

  10. July 17th, 2010 at 06:04 | #10

    I don’t think this is right people should be able to order anything online . The gvernment should not mandate something . I think this rule is bad.

  11. Luther Mason
    July 16th, 2010 at 10:46 | #11

    I understand the risk of underaged teens getting this product through the mail is a challage in it self.
    But putting law in affect will be hard to monitor, and the cost, I think also be a in the millions!
    I’m pretty sure this will create black market sales increases, that will be another need to create some mail monitoring programs.
    I’m all for the strick law, but this law is just like the new texting law you can’t enforce it to a certain extent and you will be hard pressed to prove it!!
    Breaking the Habit in NC

  12. July 16th, 2010 at 10:24 | #12

    Although I am a smoker, I think that this new law is a totally responsible way to curb accessibility of tobacco products to minors. I also feel that the government is tightening it’s grip on the tobacco industry once again. Eventually, the government’s grip will squeeze the tobacco industry so hard that smoking will be a “luxury” that few will be able to afford.

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