75-23-33 - Prohibited acts.
§ 75-23-33. Prohibited acts.
It shall be unlawful for any person:
(a) To sell or distribute in this state or to acquire, hold, own, possess or transport, for sale or distribution in this state; or to import, or cause to be imported, into this state for sale or distribution in this state:
(i) Any cigarettes the package of which:
1. Bears any statement, label, stamp, sticker or notice indicating that the manufacturer did not intend the cigarettes to be sold, distributed or used in the United States, including, but not limited to, labels stating "For Export Only," "U.S. Tax-Exempt," "For Use Outside U.S." or similar wording; or
2. Does not comply with:
a. All requirements imposed by or pursuant to federal law regarding warnings and other information on packages of cigarettes manufactured, packaged or imported for sale, distribution or use in the United States, including, but not limited to, the precise warning labels specified in the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, 15 USCS 1333; and
b. All federal trademark and copyright laws;
(ii) Any cigarettes imported into the United States in violation of 26 USCS 5754 or any other federal law, or implementing federal regulations;
(iii) Any cigarettes that such person otherwise knows or has reason to know the manufacturer did not intend to be sold, distributed or used in the United States; or
(iv) Any cigarettes for which there has not been submitted to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services the list or lists of the ingredients added to tobacco in the manufacture of such cigarettes required by the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, 15 USCS 1335a;
(b) To alter the package of any cigarettes, prior to sale or distribution to the ultimate consumer, so as to remove, conceal or obscure:
(i) Any statement, label, stamp, sticker or notice described in paragraph (a)(i)1 of this section;
(ii) Any health warning that is not specified in, or does not conform with the requirements of, the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, 15 USCS 1333; or
(c) To affix any stamp required pursuant to Chapter 69, Title 27, Mississippi Code of 1972, to the package of any cigarettes described in paragraph (a) of this section or altered in violation of paragraph (b) of this section.
Sources: Laws, 2000, ch. 596, § 2, eff from and after passage (approved May 20, 2000.)