What Are the Rules for Selling Cigarettes?

Cigarettes have been one of the commodities still needed in the world, including the United States. Some people start to see this as an opportunity to establish a new career or business in selling cigarettes. 

Each county, state, and even city has its rules and regulations regarding the act of selling cigarettes, and you must understand the rules of selling cigarettes in the U.S. before kicking off your cigarette selling business!

What Are the Regulations for Selling Cigarettes in the United States?

The Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) has been managing tobacco products in the U.S., such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookah, and cigars. This includes the activity of producing, selling, and importing those tobacco products.

The F.D.A. made these extensive rules and regulations to protect children and teenagers who aren’t old enough to understand the health risks of tobacco products. The laws are there to reduce young people’s interest and access to tobacco products so they won’t develop an addiction to them.

If you want to start selling cigarettes in the U.S., you have to comply with the rules that have been established by the F.D.A.. Here are the regulations of selling cigarettes, tobacco cigarettes, and roll-your-own tobacco that have been implemented since 2010:

• Cigarette sellers or producers must check the photo ID of customers who are under 27 years old.
• You can only sell cigarettes to customers over 21 years old.
• You must not offer or give free samples of cigarettes, including any components or parts from the cigarettes, to the customers.
• You aren’t allowed to sell or distribute cigarettes without including a warning statement on the pack.
• You can’t put cigarette advertisements without issuing a warning statement in the commercial.
• You can’t sell your cigarettes in vending machines or self-service displays unless you are selling them in adult-only facilities that require an ID check.
• You can’t sell a pack of cigarettes that have less than 20 cigarettes, and you aren’t allowed to sell only a single cigarette or loosies.
• You aren’t permitted to sell flavored cigarettes, except for menthol or tobacco flavor cigarettes.
• You must not break open a pack of cigarettes and sell them in smaller portions.

The F.D.A. organizes undercover check inspections with trained minors and F.D.A official inspectors to ensure that all rules are in place. During the assessment, the cigarette seller or producer won’t be notified and won’t know about the operation. 

The F.D.A. also provides cigarette retailers with training, guidelines, webinars, guidance, and assistance to help the cigarette sellers or producers to comprehend the regulations and sell the tobacco products following the law.

Are There Any Federal Laws That I Must Comply?

Other than the F.D.A. rules above, there are still several federal laws regarding cigarettes that you need to understand, such as:

1. Contraband Cigarette Trafficking Act (18 U.S.C. Chapter 114, 2341-2346)

You aren’t allowed to transport, distribute, send, receive, ship, possess, sell, and buy more than 10,000 cigarettes and/or 500 consumer-sized packs or cans of smokeless tobacco that have no evidence of state tax payment where the cigarettes are found. This law is in place if the state where the cigarettes are found requires a stamp or other statement to be put on the packages as proof of tax payment.

2. Jenkins Act (15 U.S.C. 375-378)

Cigarette retailers that sell and ship cigarettes into another state to anyone other than a licensed distributor have to report the receiver’s state, name, address, the cigarettes’ brand, and the amount of the cigarettes sent.

3. The Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising ACT (FCLAA) (15 U.S.C. 1331-1341)

If you produce, import, or package cigarettes, you have to report the list of ingredients added to your cigarette’s tobacco annually to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

4. Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (15 U.S.C. 1451-1461)

Cigarette producers have to give the exact information about the cigarette on the package and labels. The information can’t be misleading for the benefit of the customers.

You can also read about Tobacco Transition Payment Program (TTPP) or Tobacco Buyout program from the government regarding annual payments for tobacco producers and holders.

Don’t forget to check out the regulations on each state and the importation requirements for tobacco products!

Can I Import Cigarettes from Cuba?

Cuba has been famous for its cigars and cigarettes. Still, unfortunately, you aren’t allowed to import and even bring back cigarettes or other tobacco products from Cuba for personal and commercial use.

Are Flavored Cigarettes Are Banned?

In 2009, The F.D.A. announced that all flavored cigarettes are illegal, except for menthol and tobacco flavored cigarettes. All importation, production, and distribution of flavored cigarettes in the U.S. are against the law.

As stated before, the ban is in place to lower smoking activity in younger people under 18 years old. In addition, some flavored cigarettes are more harmful than regular ones.

Where Can I Buy Flavored Cigarettes in the United States?

Thankfully, you can still find menthol-flavored cigarettes in the U.S. since they aren’t illegal in the States. But, if you want to find more exotic flavored cigarettes, such as clove cigarettes, you have to purchase them online.

If you want to experience a bolder and spicier cigarette flavor, you should try smoking clove cigarettes or kretek! This Indonesian cigarette is a mixture of tobacco, ground clove, and other aromatic spices, such as cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

You can buy cigarettes online from Clove Cigarettes Online! There are various excellent clove cigarettes that you can select from the online store. Simply click Clove Cigarettes Online to start exploring the clove cigarettes that suit your preference!