UPS will now require a person who is at least 21-years-old to sign for all deliveries of packages containing e-liquids, vaporizers and other tobacco products.
A revision to UPS’s “Transportation of Tobacco Products” agreement in December 2019 includes the change, according to an article on halfwheel.com. It covers all tobacco products including e-cigarettes, vaporizers, e-liquids, cigars, roll-your-own and pipe tobacco, and smokeless tobacco. Cigarettes and little cigars cannot be shipped to consumers due to federal law.
The change will affect both B2B and B2C shipments, meaning both stores receiving cigars from manufacturers and consumers receiving cigars from stores will now be required to sign for the packages, the article states.
“UPS policy requires that all Tobacco Product Shipments must be made using UPS Delivery Confirmation Adult Signature Required service, requiring the signature of an adult 21 years of age or older upon delivery,” said Dawn Wotapka, a spokesperson for UPS, in an email to halfwheel. Wotapka did not immediately respond to when the new policy will go into effect, according to the article.
UPS and other carriers already require a signature from someone at least 21-years-old for alcohol shipments. The minimum age to purchase tobacco products in the U.S. has already increased to 21 at the federal level, though enforcement of that law has not yet begun.
FedEx, a UPS competitor, banned most tobacco shipments in 2016.