The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the PACT Act (Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act) on a vote of 387-25. 

“A significant amount of work has gone into getting this bill passed by both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House, and I extend a special thank you to all NATO members for their assistance in contacting their U.S. Senators and their U.S. Representatives,” said Thomas Briant, executive director of the National Association of Tobacco (NATO), in an email yesterday.

The bill now is on its way to President Obama for his signature. The PACT Act aims to stop the sale of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products over the Internet by requiring the collection of state cigarette and OTP taxes and mandating age verification procedures to prevent minors from obtaining access to tobacco products by Internet sellers.

“All NATO members need to make one call to the White House Comment Line (202-456-1111) between 9:00 A.M. EST and 5:00 P.M. EST and leave a message urging the President to sign Senate Bill No. S.1147, the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act, into law,” Briant urged. “The President needs to hear from retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers about the need to have this bill signed into law,” he added.