From the Postal Bulletin
Domestic Mail Manual: Changes to Age Verification for Mailing of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco Products
Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco are subject to numerous mailability restrictions. These restrictions may require Postal Service™ employees to conduct age verification of the sender and/or recipient of the item, as indicated below.
- DMM 601.11.5.3(a): For the exception for businesses mailing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products to other businesses or government agencies, the recipient must be an adult of at least the minimum age for the legal sale or purchase of tobacco products at the place of delivery, which should be verified by a postal employee before releasing or delivering the item to the recipient.
11.5.3 Delivery
Mailings bearing the marking for business/regulatory purposes can only be delivered to a verified employee of the addressee business or government agency. The recipient must show proof that he or she is an employee of the business or government identified as the addressee on the mailing label under the following conditions:
a. The recipient must be an adult of at least the minimum age for the legal sale or purchase of tobacco products at the place of delivery. The recipient must furnish proof of age via a driver’s license, passport, or other government-issued photo identification that lists age or date of birth.
- DMM 601.11.6.1(b)/DMM 601.11.6.3(a): For cigarettes and smokeless tobacco mailed under the “certain individuals” exception, cigarettes or smokeless tobacco may be entered only by an adult of at least the minimum age for the legal sale or purchase of tobacco products at the place of entry. Additionally, the recipient receiving or signing for the article must be an adult of at least the minimum age for the legal sale or purchase of tobacco products at the place of delivery. This must be confirmed by postal employees in both transactions.
11.6.1 Entry and Acceptance
Mailings under the certain individuals exception must be entered under the following conditions:
a. Cigarettes or smokeless tobacco may only be mailed via a face-to-face transaction with a postal employee. Applicable mailings may not be tendered through Pickup on Demand or Package Pickup services.
b. Cigarettes or smokeless tobacco may only be entered by an adult of at least the minimum age for the legal sale or purchase of tobacco products at the place of entry.
- DMM 601.11.7.3(a): For mailings permitted under the “consumer testing” exception, the recipient signing for the article must be an adult of at least 21 years of age.
11.7.3 Delivery
Mailings bearing the marking for consumer testing can only be delivered to the named addressee under the following conditions:
a. The recipient signing for the Priority Mail Express Hold for Pickup service article must be an adult of at least 21 years of age.
Effective May 18, 2014, the minimum age for purchasing cigarettes and other tobacco products in New York, NY, will be changed from age 18 to age 21. Several towns in Massachusetts (Canton, Dover, Sharon, and Arlington) have also raised the minimum age for purchase of tobacco to 21. In addition, several locations require purchasers of tobacco to be age 19 or older: Alaska, Alabama, New Jersey, Utah, and the following New York counties: Nassau, Onondaga, and Suffolk. The table below specifies the locations and the minimum age. If not specified, then the minimum age is presumed to be 18 years of age under federal law.
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Alaska; Alabama; New Jersey; Utah; Nassau, Onondaga, and Suffolk counties in New York. |
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New York City, NY; Canton, Dover, Sharon, and Arlington, MA. |
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Postal Service employees should be aware of these requirements and ensure that the sender and/or recipient meet the required minimum age as specified in the DMM, and should be especially watchful when the item is being sent or received in an area where the minimum purchasing age is above age 18.