Postal Service relaxes rules on mailing cigarettes to soldiers

The United States Postal Service has decided to give soldiers a break,..., a smoke break that is. The PACT Act (Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act), which restricts the mailing of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, has been amended to give the friends and families of soldiers a cheaper way to mail these products to them.

The revision allows cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to be mailed using Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation service. Originally, the PACT Act only allowed the use of Express Mail service when mailing these items to military addresses, meaning those addresses which include the designations APO, FPO, or DPO (Army Post Office, Fleet Post Office, or Diplomatic Post Office). Express Mail Service is much more expensive than Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation, which would have placed a greater financial burden on the mailer, who often turns out to be a family member of the soldier who sends mail to them frequently. This change is effective on August 27, 2010.

The PACT Act largely prohibits the mailing of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco through the U.S. Mail, although there are exceptions. Residents of Hawaii and Alaska may mail to other residents in their same state. Shipments are allowed between verified and authorized tobacco industry businesses and federal or state agencies for regulatory purposes. Age-verified adult individuals (18 years old or the individual states legal smoking age, if higher) may mail 10 ounces or less of tobacco at a time to another person, but may not send more than 10 shipments every 30 days. Persons receiving the cigarettes must show proof that they are of legal age in order to receive the tobacco products. Cigarettes may also be mailed by authorized manufacturers to verified adult smokers, age 21 and over, for consumer testing purposes. Shipments to foreign countries are prohibited. Surprisingly, cigars are not regulated under the PACT Act at this time, and may be mailed without restriction in the United States and internationally unless specifically prohibited by a country. 

The change allowing the use of Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation for APO/FPO/DPO military addresses is an exception to the rule, as all other types of shipments are allowed to use Express Mail Hold For Pickup service only. Otherwise, all other restrictions apply to military mailings, such as the 10 ounce and 10 mailings every 30 days limits. It is assumed that members of the armed forces are at least 18 years old and are therefore of legal age to receive the tobacco products. 

So for those of you who think that the Postal Service is a huge unfeeling entity, here is proof that the organization does care about the plight of out troops stationed overseas and their families. Even if you believe that smoking is a bad habit, the fact remains that many soldiers find comfort in tobacco, and the USPS has just made it easier and less expensive for them to get it.