(a) On and after July 1, 2008, no holder of a cigarette manufacturer’s license shall sell cigarettes, or offer cigarettes for sale, to consumers within this state, whether directly or through a distributor, dealer, or similar intermediary or intermediaries, unless such cigarettes comply with the requirements of subsection (b) of this section.

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(b) Cigarettes to be sold, or offered for sale, to consumers within this state, whether directly or through a distributor, dealer, or similar intermediary or intermediaries, shall: (1) Have been tested in accordance with the test method specified in section 29-418 and meet the performance standard specified in section 29-418; (2) have been listed in a written certification submitted to the Office of the State Fire Marshal in accordance with section 29-419; and (3) be in packages marked in accordance with section 29-421.

(c) If any holder violates the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the Commissioner of Revenue Services may suspend or revoke the holder’s cigarette manufacturer’s license in the same manner as provided in section 12-295 for the suspension or revocation of the license of a dealer or distributor.

(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit any holder or any stamper from selling or offering for sale cigarettes not meeting the requirements of subsection (b) of this section if such cigarettes are or will be stamped for sale in another state or are packaged for sale outside the United States.

(e) A wholesale or retail dealer may sell his or her existing inventory of cigarettes on or after July 1, 2008, if such dealer can establish that: (1) Connecticut cigarette tax stamps were affixed to such cigarettes prior to July 1, 2008, and (2) such cigarettes were purchased prior to July 1, 2008, in a quantity comparable to the cigarettes purchased during the same period of the prior year.

(f) Nothing in sections 29-416 to 29-421, inclusive, shall be construed to prohibit a holder from distributing cigarettes in accordance with the provisions of section 12-314a for the purpose of consumer testing, after obtaining the authorization of the Commissioner of Revenue Services. For the purposes of this subsection, “consumer testing” means an assessment of cigarettes that is conducted by or under the control of a holder for the purpose of evaluating consumer acceptance of such cigarettes, utilizing only the quantity of cigarettes that is reasonably necessary for such assessment, and conducting such assessment in a controlled setting where the cigarettes are either consumed on-site or returned to the testing administrators at the conclusion of the testing.