In a sweeping new decision Vermont has passed legislation to ban the online sale of tobacco products. The exact legislation as it reads “Sec. 2. 7 V.S.A. § 1010(b) is amended to read: (b) No person shall cause cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, little cigars, or snuff, tobacco substitutes, substances containing nicotine or otherwise intended for use with a tobacco substitute, or tobacco paraphernalia, ordered or purchased by mail or through a computer network, telephone network, or other electronic network, to be shipped to anyone other than a licensed wholesale dealer or retail dealer in this State.”
This legislation is effective July 1, 2019, so what does this mean for whole sellers who use an online platform to sell to retail location. It means you will now have to purchase the proper licensing to sell to your retail locations in Vermont if you did not already have them as well as verifying that you are only selling to wholesale dealers or retail dealers and not directly to customers. They have yet to announce the penalties if companies are caught selling directly to consumers after this July 1st date. Moving forward the state said it is also reviewing its status on retail tobacco sales, all this on the feet of passing the online sales law. This announcement has now also caught the attention of many retailers who have been selling to the state without any of their formal licenses.
For updates on this state and the new state licensing updates to come, sign up for the new North Guide Solutions Newsletter. In addition to any wholesalers looking to verify or purchase state licensing contact NGS at (909)635-6588.