Unpackaged Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco: What Retailers Need to Know

Unpackaged Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco: What Retailers Need to Know

[Announcer] This podcast is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in partnership with the US Food and Drug Administration. CDC – safer, healthier people.

The retail community plays an important role in helping protect kids from tobacco. A new federal law, based on the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, prohibits the sale of unpackaged cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.

Single cigarettes, sometimes called "loosies," and small quantities of smokeless tobacco were inexpensive and in the past, they enticed children and adolescents to try these products. To comply with the law, retailers may not sell single cigarettes or break open packages of cigarettes to sell or distribute unpackaged cigarettes.

There is one exception. In "adult-only" facilities where no one under the age of 18 is permitted, retailers may have vending machines, if their state allows, that sell single, packaged cigarettes. Also, retailers may not sell unpackaged smokeless tobacco or small packages of smokeless tobacco—those that are smaller than packages distributed by the manufacturer for individual use.

Do your part to break the chain of addiction. Keep tobacco out of the hands of youth and never sell unpackaged cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.

For more information on the new tobacco federal regulations and how you can break the chain of tobacco addiction, visit www.fda.gov/breakthechain, or follow us on Twitter at FDATobacco. If you have questions about the new regulations, please contact the FDA Center for Tobacco Products Call Center at 1-877-287-1373 or e-mail us at askctp@fda.hhs.gov.

There will be additional podcasts that provide more detail about the new federal tobacco regulations. Subscribe to this series or check back often for updates.

[Announcer] For the most accurate health information, visit www.cdc.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO, 24/7.