Cites urgent need for passage of the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Coalition to Stop Contraband Tobacco today called on the Senate to clear and pass S. 1147, the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act of 2009 before the Senate adjourns for the year.

Sponsored by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), this legislation will help combat online cigarette sales that have robbed hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues from the states and that undermine state laws that prevent youth access to tobacco products.

"The Senate must pass the PACT Act before adjourning to put an end to the illegal sale of tobacco products," said Scott Ramminger, American Wholesale Marketers Association president and CEO and coalition spokesperson.

Numerous stakeholders have worked with Sen. Kohl through the years to pass the PACT Act, which was passed in the House of Representatives this May. S. 1147 closes gaps in current federal laws regulating "remote" or "delivery" sales of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products.

"We urge the Senate to work to clear this common sense legislation before the end of this year," concluded Ramminger.

The Coalition to Stop Contraband Tobacco is a group of individuals, associations, businesses and other organizations that share the goal of enacting legislation that will eliminate underage access to tobacco on the Internet, curtail associated illegal activities and capture lost state excise tax revenues.

SOURCE Coalition to Stop Contraband Tobacco

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