OLYMPIA – June 1, 2012 – Beginning July 1, 2012, operators of roll-your-own (RYO) commercial cigarette-making machines must abide by the provisions of a bill passed by the state Legislature this spring.

Through Third Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill (3E2SHB) 2565, the Legislature enacted several changes to laws affecting cigarettes made using a commercial cigarette-making machine in a retail store from loose tobacco purchased by customers.

Among the changes for RYO retailers are the requirements to:

·         Have a commercial cigarette-making machine license and a cigarette retailer license in addition to their tobacco products retailer license, for each location.

·         Use only commercial RYO machines that have secure metering devices.
·         Purchase cigarette tax stamps.
·         Apply the appropriate number of cigarette tax stamps to the containers provided to customers to carry RYO cigarettes out of the store.

For a more information on the changes required by 3E2SHB 2565, visit our website at Dor.wa.gov/RYO .