A bill banning the shipment of tobacco products to the general public when purchased by mail or on the internet passed the Legislature this week. Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, the bill’s sponsor, says the law needed to be changed because of a recent federal court decision.

“It’s clear that this is one of the big ways kids are getting cigarettes,” Prentice said.  “With this court decision, the state couldn’t require delivery people to verify the age of the recipient anymore, so we changed the law so that cigarettes ordered online can only be delivered to retail stores or wholesalers.”

“This is just another step to make it harder for kids to get tobacco products,” Prentice said.

Prentice is the chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee. The ban on cigarette delivery is Senate Bill 5340.