Omnibus relief bill includes ban on mail sales of e-cigarette products; FedEx will not handle shipments after March 1

By Al Cross Published December 31, 2020 HEALTH BUSINESS, HEALTH POLICY, TOBACCO, YOUR HEALTH

The catch-all bill to keep the government open, provide pandemic relief and do many other things includes a ban on mail shipments of electronic-cigarette products, and apply federal laws on cigarette sales to online sellers of e-cigarette products.

That part of the legislation becomes law March 27, and gives the U.S. Postal Service until April 26 to impose regulations implementing it.

“With the USPS off limits for online sellers, private delivery services will immediately be pressured by anti-tobacco (and -vaping) groups to prohibit shipping of vaping products,” reports Vaping360, a site that promotes the practice as an alternative to traditional cigarettes.”

FedEx has announced it will stop handing e-cigarette products March 1, Vaping360 reports.

The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky lauded the legislation.

“More than nine in 10 times that minors try to buy e-cigarettes online, they are successful,” said Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the foundation. “This provision will cut off an important avenue that e-cigarette companies have been using to get their dangerous tobacco products to kids. The bill also helps raise the price of e-cigarettes by ensuring that sellers pay the new Kentucky e-cigarette excise tax we supported this year. So, by reducing youth access to vapes and making them more expensive, the bill is another strong step forward in reducing the youth vaping epidemic in Kentucky and across our nation.”