OLYMPIA, WA — Washington state will be receiving $65,000 from a Pennsylvania-based smoke shop, after it illegally shipped thousands of tobacco products straight to consumers in the evergreen state.
Under Washington state law, it’s illegal to sell tobacco through the mail or online, unless it’s being sent directly to a licensed retailer or wholesaler. According to the Washington Attorney’s Office, that’s a law that Smoker’s Outlet Online broke several times over, selling more than 4,300 products to Washingtonians over the past two years.
During their investigation, the Attorney General’s Office says they even ordered tobacco from the company, and Smoker’s Outlet shipped some from their base in York, Pennsylvania, directly to the AG’s office.
“Corporations selling addictive tobacco products must comply with the law — period,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said. “Washington prohibits mail and internet tobacco sales as part of our robust strategy to reduce youth access. I will hold tobacco companies that violate the law accountable.”
To avoid a lawsuit from Washington, Smoker’s Outlet Online has agreed to pay the state $65,885, and has updated their policy to no longer ship sales directly to Washington consumers.
The Attorney General’s Office says moves like these are important to prevent minors from getting access to nicotine, and avoiding a lifetime of tobacco addiction. They cite a recent CDC study, which showed that underage smokers were able to successfully buy cigarettes from online vendors 92 percent of the times they tried. That same study found that 91 percent of online tobacco retailers said they would only sell tobacco to adults, but the overwhelming majority did not actually verify the seller’s age.
That concern ties in to another recent action by Attorney General Ferguson. Earlier this month his office announced the results of a sweep cracking down on illegal online vape sales to minors. The sweep ended with five companies agreeing to pay Washington a combined $132,000 for their illegal vape sales.
