Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has joined a lawsuit seeking to force the U.S. Postal Service from delivering foreign cigarettes across the country.
The lawsuit accused the USPS of deliberately violating of the nonmailability provision of the Prevent All Cigarettes Trafficking Act (PACT Act) by knowingly accepting and delivering packages through domestic mail contained cigarettes or smokeless tobacco from overseas.
Tong noted the health costs related to smoking (4,900 smoking-related deaths and $2.03 billion in medical costs tied to smoking each year) and the loss in tax revenue (Connecticut”™s excise tax on cigarettes is $4.35 per pack or $43.50 per carton).
“The USPS is aware of these shipments and we are taking action to compel them to do their job and stop this illegal smuggling,” Tong said.
The lawsuit was initially filed last October by California and New York City, was recently amended to include Connecticut, Illinois and Pennsylvania.
