Our colleagues recently wrote about 14 memoranda from the new U.S. Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi to Department of Justice (DOJ) employees framing the DOJ’s current policies and enforcement priorities. In a memorandum...more
2/27/2025
/ ATF ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Executive Orders ,
PACT Act ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations
In what appear to be the first restrictions of their kind, the state of California and the city and county of Denver have adopted bans on flavored tobacco products that cover not only products containing tobacco and nicotine,...more
2/13/2025
/ California ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Local Ordinance ,
New Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Regulation ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Vaping
In late January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdrew its proposed rules to prohibit menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes and all characterizing flavors in cigars. Although either proposal could be...more
2/12/2025
/ Comment Period ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Health ,
Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Trump Administration
Yet again, the premium cigar industry has prevailed in federal court against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA appealed a federal district court decision vacating its rule (the Deeming Rule) subjecting premium...more
1/30/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Final Rules ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Litigation ,
Tobacco Regulations
On January 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a proposed rule that would set a maximum nicotine level in combusted cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products....more
On December 17, 2024, Iowans for Alternatives to Smoking & Tobacco, Inc., Global Source Distribution, LLC, and others filed a complaint and motion for a preliminary injunction in federal district court against the Iowa...more
1/7/2025
/ E-Cigarettes ,
Equal Protection ,
Food & Drug Regulations ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retail Sales ,
Supremacy Clause ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Vaping
Throughout 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) endeavored to curb sales of unauthorized electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) in the U.S. In light of persistent demand for flavored ENDS — nearly all of...more
12/27/2024
/ E-Cigarettes ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Food & Drug Regulations ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Retail Sales ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Trump Administration ,
Vaping
In October, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that a law restricting the packaging of e-cigarettes violates the state constitution’s free speech protections. The decision illustrates the utility of free speech arguments...more
11/18/2024
/ Advertising ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Food & Drug Regulations ,
Free Speech ,
Marketing ,
Product Packaging ,
Public Health ,
Retail Sales ,
State Constitutions ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Vaping
In September, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told industry that it would begin enforcing the agency’s cigarette graphic warning rule in December 2025 in an enforcement policy outlined in a short guidance...more
9/30/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Failure To Warn ,
FDA Approval ,
Final Rules ,
First Amendment ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Manufacturers ,
Public Health ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Warning Labels
We recently had the opportunity to attend, and present at, the industry portion of the 2024 Federation of Tax Administrators Tobacco Tax Annual Conference in Mobile, Alabama....more
In August, a group of tobacco companies filed a petition for certiorari at the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking review of a lower court’s holding that the First Amendment does not prohibit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration...more
8/28/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Advertising ,
FDA Warning Letters ,
First Amendment ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Manufacturers ,
Marketing ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Product Labels ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Authority ,
RJ Reynolds ,
SCOTUS ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Warning Labels ,
Zauderer
The landscape of tobacco product and cannabis flavor bans or restrictions varies significantly across the country. In both industries, some states restrict all or some flavors in all types of products, while other states...more
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) recently upheld, in a unanimous decision, the town of Brookline’s ordinance banning the sale of tobacco and e-cigarette products to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2000 (the Tobacco...more
3/26/2024
/ E-Cigarettes ,
Local Ordinance ,
MA Supreme Judicial Court ,
Preemption ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Retail Market ,
Retail Sales ,
Smoking Bans ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Litigation ,
Tobacco Regulations
We recently reported that several state legislatures are considering bills to establish vapor product directories this year — namely Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and Virginia. Throughout January and early February, similar...more
2/8/2024
/ E-Cigarettes ,
Food & Drug Regulations ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Marketing ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Retail Sales ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Vaping
This year, several state legislatures will consider bills to establish vapor product directories. Amid heightened scrutiny of illicit vapor products by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these product directory...more
1/22/2024
/ E-Cigarettes ,
Food & Drug Regulations ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Marketing ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Retail Sales ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Vaping
We recently discussed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products’ (CTP) strategic plan intended to guide CTP’s activity for the next five years. On the same day, CTP released its annual...more
The Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (“CTP”) has released a strategic plan intended to guide the Center’s activity for the next five years. While the strategic plan highlights the laudable goals of...more
In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to online retailers for reportedly selling unauthorized e-cigarette products. Consistent with the Center for Tobacco Products’ (CTP) recent...more
In 2021 we wrote about the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment’s (OEHHA) plans to amend regulations governing Proposition 65 (Prop 65) short-form warning labels. On May 20, 2022, however, OEHHA...more
12/13/2023
/ Advertising ,
Amended Regulation ,
California ,
Manufacturers ,
OEHHA ,
Proposition 65 ,
Public Health ,
Public Hearing ,
Retailers ,
Safe Harbors ,
Suppliers ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Exposure ,
Warning Labels
Much attention has recently been placed on hemp-derived products marketed in packaging that mimics popular snack foods.
Originally published in Law360 - August 15, 2023....more
11/15/2023
/ Cannabis Products ,
Controlled Substances ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Hemp ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana-Infused Edibles ,
Plant Based Products ,
Product Packaging ,
Public Health ,
Recreational Use ,
THC
Recently, NJOY LLC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against more than 30 foreign and domestic defendants that manufacture, market, distribute, and sell tobacco products in an...more
10/31/2023
/ E-Cigarettes ,
False Advertising ,
Imports ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Lanham Act ,
Manufacturers ,
PACT Act ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
RJ Reynolds ,
Tariff Act of 1930 ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Litigation ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Unfair Competition Law (UCL) ,
Vaping
In September, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued two new rounds of warning letters to online retailers, manufacturers, and distributors for reportedly selling or distributing unauthorized e-cigarette products....more
10/2/2023
/ Distributors ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Manufacturers ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Warning Letters
Over the last decade, hundreds of localities have passed ordinances restricting or prohibiting the sale of some or all types of tobacco products. Some of these ordinances have been challenged in court, but, in most cases, the...more
On August 22, 2023, the Troutman Pepper Tobacco + Nicotine Team attended the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (“CTP”) virtual listening session on the development of CTP’s strategic plan. We...more
On August 9, 2023, Judge Amit P. Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia issued his decision vacating the decision of the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) to “deem” premium cigars covered by FDA’s 2016...more