PACT Act - sometimes soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan can't get the cigarettes they want..

August 6, 2010 - A new federal law intended to make sure mail-order cigarette sellers don’t avoid taxes is frustrating well-meaning people who want to mail smokes, including a Louisville man who can no longer send Marlboro Menthols to his grandson, a Marine serving in Afghanistan. “Why punish a serviceman with this act when he can’t even have a cigarette over there,” Jack Gray said. “That’s not believable.”

Marlboro menthols are a very popular cigarettes. Mr. Gray should ask to have these cigarettes made available to those that want to smoke then his grandfather could send his grandson the money to purchase the cigarettes at a much lower price. But even better tell his grandson it's time to STOP SMOKING. Why survive Afghanistan and die after years of suffering from a tobacco related chronic disease. The military is trying its hardest to get smokers to stop smoking. Also, U.S. Military - phased in ban on smoking...

A spokeswoman for the bill’s sponsor in the senate, Sen. Herbert Kohl, D-Wisc stated, It's an unintended consequence of the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act, or PACT Act as it’s known for short.

June 28, 2010 - The new PACT (Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking) law begins on June 29, 2010. After this date, all cigarettes, including roll-your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco, cannot be mailed by the United States Postal Service (USPS), except in certain instances. Cigars can still be sent through the mail.

The new law requires that all shipments of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco (except for shipments within Alaska and Hawaii – see below) must be sent with a service that provides tracking and confirmation of delivery. Therefore, USPS® will require Express Mail® service to be used to send any package containing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco through the U.S. Mail, using one of the exceptions provided in the law.

The main goal for passage of the PACT Act: to Protect Our Children - Make it illegal to use the U.S. Postal Service to deliver any form of tobacco product..

In response to the law, which was passed and signed by President Obama in March, the U.S. Postal Service adopted a new policy at the end of June that nearly bans mailing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Most exceptions require they be sent via Express Mail, which allows the post office to confirm the package is delivered to an adult. But Express Mail isn’t available in Iraq or Afghanistan.

“We are working to fix it as soon as possible,” Kohl spokeswoman Dawn Schueller said Tuesday. Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican, filed a bill July 30 to create an exemption for mailing tobacco to members of the Armed Forces in combat zones. The bill has been referred to a committee.

United Parcel Service (UPS) hasn’t delivered cigarettes to consumers since 2005, spokeswoman Susan Rosenberg said, adding that the decision came as various states passed restrictions. She said the postal service was the last major commercial carrier delivering cigarettes to consumers. A FedEx spokeswoman said the company only ships tobacco products between licensed distributors.

The bill included a provision that allows cigarettes to be mailed to individuals “who are not minors for noncommercial purposes.” “We included that provision specifically to allow care packages to service members,” Kohl spokeswoman Schueller said, acknowledging that the Postal Service used Express Mail to verify the age of the recipient.

“We’re just following the law, said David Walton, a USPS spokesman in Louisville. “The ban is not something that we initiated. It’s a law that’s very exacting.”
As for sending the package without declaring what’s inside, Walton said packages being mailed overseas require a customs form and anyone caught lying about the contents could be prosecuted.

Reference: New cigarette law snags cartons for troops too by Gregory A. Hall (ghall@courier-journal.com), Louisville Courier-Journal, 8/3/2010.

Some PACT related news briefs:
U.S. PACT Law takes effect June 29, 2010..;
President Obama Signs PACT Act Into Law..;
U.S. House passed PACT Act again now awaits presidential signature and it's law..;
U.S. Senate - unanimously passes the PACT Act..;
Disappointment - U.S. legislators from New York State are delaying passage of PACT Act..;
NATO - urging retailers to call their U.S.Senators to get the PACT Act passed..;
U.S. let's get the PACT bill passed by congress and then signed into law..;
NY State - Seneca Indians - lobbying against the PACT act.;
U.S. - Senate Judiciary Committee Approves PACT ACT..;
U.S. - Senate Committee scheduled to vote on PACT..;
Web-Based Companies must stop selling flavored cigarettes..;
Internet, Flavors everywhere - snuff being marketed to kids as hip, cool and healthy..;
U.S. customs officials bar imports bearing the Philip Morris USA trademark..;
Let's Get It Passed - Prevent All Tobacco Trafficking Act of 2009..;
U.S - PACT legislation passed by House..;
U.S. - PACT Legislation to be considered by House this month..;
We must get the United States Postal Service (USPS) out of the tobacco delivery business..;
PACT Legislation now in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee..;
U.S. House Passes Bill to Prevent Tobacco Delivery By Mail..;
We must get the United States Postal Service (USPS) out of the tobacco delivery business..
Protect Our Children - Make it illegal to use the U.S. Postal Service to deliver any form of tobacco product...