Ask Your Legislators to Support the PACT Act

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—NACS urges convenience retailers to contact their legislators to support the bipartisan Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act, which would require online retailers to verify the age and identity of consumers when they receive vaping products. The same measures are already in place for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products purchased online.

The legislation seeks to prevent online sales of e-cigarettes to minors by ensuring that the age of the purchaser is verified at time of delivery, which is currently required for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products purchased online.

NACS believes there should be a level playing field among channels of trade selling e-cigarettes, which is why we support the Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act. NACS urges members of the convenience store industry to ask their senators and representatives to co-sponsor the measure. You can send a pre-drafted email to your legislators by clicking here.

“The convenience store industry strongly supports this commonsense legislation that would close the internet loophole of teens acquiring e-cigarettes,” said Anna Ready Blom, NACS director of government relations.

“According to a study published by the American Journal of Health Promotion, the most common retail source of e-cigarettes to minors is the internet, with more than 32% of minors who bought e-cigarettes at retail reported to have acquired the products online.”

The Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act would require online sellers of e-cigarettes to:

• Require verification that an adult with ID is present to take delivery of the product.
• Label shipping packages to show they contain tobacco products.
• Comply with all state and local tobacco tax requirements.