139.345 Direct marketing.

(1)

(a) No person may sell cigarettes to consumers in this state as a direct marketer unless the person submits to the department the person's name, trade name, address of the person's principal place of business, phone number, e-mail address, and website address.

(b) No person may sell cigarettes as described under this section unless the person certifies to the department, in the manner prescribed by the department, that the person shall acquire stamped cigarettes from a licensed distributor or unstamped cigarettes from the manufacturer thereof, pay the tax imposed under this subchapter on all unstamped cigarettes and affix stamps to the cigarette packages or containers as provided under s. 139.32 (1), store such packages or containers, and sell only such packages or containers to consumers in this state by direct marketing; or acquire cigarettes from a distributor, to the packages or containers of which stamps have been affixed as provided under s. 139.32 (1), and sell only such packages or containers to consumers in this state by direct marketing.

(d) No person may sell cigarettes as described in this section unless the person certifies to the department, in the manner prescribed by the department, that the person shall register with credit card and debit card companies; that the invoices and all means of solicitation for all shipments of cigarette sales from the person shall bear the person's name and address; and that the person shall provide the department any information the department considers necessary to administer this section.

(2) No person may sell cigarettes to consumers in this state by direct marketing unless the tax imposed under s. 77.52 or 77.53 is paid on the sale of such cigarettes.

(3) No person may sell cigarettes to consumers in this state unless the person does all of the following:

(a) Verifies the consumer's name and address and that the consumer is at least 18 years of age by any of the following methods:

1. The person uses a database that includes information based on public records.

2. The person receives from the consumer, at the time of purchase, a copy of a government issued identification.

3. The person uses a mechanism, other than a mechanism specified under subd. 1. or 2., that is approved by the department.

(b) Obtains from the consumer, at the time of purchase, a statement signed by the consumer that confirms all of the following:

1. The consumer's name, address, and birth date.

2. That the consumer understands that no person who is under 18 years of age may purchase or possess cigarettes or falsely represent his or her age for the purpose of receiving cigarettes, as provided under s. 254.92.

3. That the consumer understands that any person who, for the purpose of obtaining credit, goods, or services, intentionally uses, attempts to use, or possesses with intent to use, any personal identifying information or personal identification document of an individual, including a deceased individual, without the authorization or consent of the individual and by representing that he or she is the individual, that he or she is acting with the authorization or consent of the individual, or that the information or document belongs to him or her, is guilty of a Class H felony, as provided under s. 943.201.

(4) Any person who makes a sale of cigarettes by means of the Internet shall, at the time of purchase, obtain the purchaser's electronic mail address and shall receive payment for the sale by credit card, debit card, or check prior to shipping.

(5) The invoice for any shipment of cigarettes sold to consumers in this state by direct marketing shall specify the name and address of the seller and any valid permit issued under s. 139.34 that is held by the seller.

(6) All packages of cigarettes shipped to consumers in this state shall be clearly labelled “CIGARETTES" on the outside of such packages.

(7)

(a) No person may deliver a package of cigarettes sold by direct marketing to a consumer in this state unless the person making the delivery receives a government issued identification card from the person receiving the package and verifies that the person receiving the package is at least 18 years of age. If the person receiving the package is not the person to whom the package is addressed, the person delivering the package shall have the person receiving the package sign a statement that affirms that the person to whom the package is addressed is at least 18 years of age.

(b) No person may deliver a package of cigarettes to a consumer in this state unless the seller of the cigarettes provides proof to the person making the delivery that the seller has complied with all requirements under this subchapter. A seller shall have no course of action against any person who refuses to deliver cigarettes as provided under this subdivision.

History: 2005 a. 25; 2017 a. 365 s. 112.