WASHINGTON - Beginning June 29, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will no longer accept or transport cigarettes or smokeless tobacco, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

A new federal law intended to stop illegal cigarette trafficking allows the USPS to refuse packages if the agency reasonably thinks the packages have cigarettes or smokeless tobacco. The new regulations are for international and domestic shipments, but do not encompass cigars.

"Internet sales of cigarettes is a problem because they can sell to kids and they evade taxes," said Eric Lindblom, director of public policy research at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "The Post Office was the No. 1 way illegal Internet sellers deliver cigarettes."

Other delivery companies, including DHL, FedEx and UPS, do not ship cigarettes under arrangements with state attorneys general designed to keep tobacco out of the hands of minors.

"These new requirements will put an end to tax-evading online sales and impose rigorous age-verification requirements for remote sellers of these products," said David Sutton, a spokesman for Altria Group Inc.

Along with convenience store owners and law enforcement, Altria backed the new rules. "It will help states recover millions of dollars in tax revenues they are losing to tax-evading online sales; help ensure that kids cannot purchase tobacco products online; and help combat illegal activity associated with the sale and distribution of tax-evading tobacco products," said Sutton.