On October 27, FDA appealed a decision of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia that vacated the agency’s 2020 rule requiring graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging and advertisements. This...more
11/12/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
First Amendment ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Statutory Authority ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Tobacco Litigation ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Vacated ,
Vacatur ,
Warning Labels
On September 22, a group of 28 state AGs led by Iowa filed an amicus brief in Vapor Technology Association v. Wooten in support of North Carolina’s state directory law that prohibits the sale of electronic nicotine delivery...more
10/22/2025
/ Amicus Briefs ,
Appeals ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Government Agencies ,
Preemption ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State Attorneys General ,
Statutory Interpretation
In September, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has launched a pilot program aimed at streamlining the agency’s review of certain premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for modern oral...more
An Ohio appellate court recently affirmed the dismissal of a case brought by the Ohio attorney general (AG) against Central Tobacco & Stuff Inc. (Central Tobacco), an e-cigarette retailer, in which the AG alleged that Central...more
10/15/2025
/ Appeals ,
E-Cigarettes ,
FDA Approval ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Pre-Market Notification ,
Preemption ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers ,
State Attorneys General ,
Statutory Violations ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
In August, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) finalized regulations to implement California’s unflavored tobacco list (UTL) law, which the state enacted in 2024. The new regulations include detailed filing...more
9/23/2025
/ California ,
Cooperative Compliance Regime ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Distributors ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Filing Requirements ,
Final Rules ,
Importers ,
Imports ,
Manufacturers ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retail Market ,
State and Local Government ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Wholesale
In May, we wrote about the Trump administration’s first major enforcement action involving the importation of unauthorized e-cigarettes, in which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Customs and Border...more
9/16/2025
/ Asset Seizure ,
China ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Imports ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
Importers of smoking tobacco products, particularly cigarettes, are increasingly saving millions in federal excise taxes by employing a refund mechanism known as the “drawback.”...more
9/4/2025
/ Cross-Border Transactions ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Excise Tax ,
Exports ,
GAO ,
Imports ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Refunds ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act ,
US Trade Policies
On August 21, 2025, NJOY, LLC (NJOY), a subsidiary of Altria Group, Inc., sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), alleging that the agency has unlawfully delayed rendering a decision on supervisory review of its...more
8/27/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Administrative Review ,
Declaratory Judgments ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Marketing ,
Premarket Approval Applications ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retail Market ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Writ of Mandamus
We recently wrote about a federal case here and here involving key issues related to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) authority to enforce the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act (PACT Act)...more
8/18/2025
/ Appeals ,
ATF ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Injunctions ,
Jurisdiction ,
Native American Issues ,
Noncompliance ,
PACT Act ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Tribal Governments
Over the past two years, at least 15 states have enacted laws requiring manufacturers of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) to certify the status of their federal premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) in...more
7/25/2025
/ Appeals ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equal Protection ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Penalties ,
Preemption ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers ,
State Legislatures ,
Tobacco Regulations
In 2023, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) placed Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians (Twenty-Nine Palms), a federally recognized Indian tribe that sells cigarettes on sovereign reservations...more
7/22/2025
/ Appeals ,
Common Carriers ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Interstate Commerce ,
Judicial Review ,
Native American Issues ,
PACT Act ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Retail Market ,
Shipping ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
State and Local Government ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Tribal Governments
In June, the Appellate Court of Illinois upheld an assessment of over $314 million against Sam’s Club for unpaid county cigarette excise taxes, including a 10% late fee, a 25% penalty, and accrued interest. The assessment...more
7/21/2025
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Appeals ,
Double Taxation ,
Due Process ,
Excise Tax ,
Failure To Pay ,
IL Supreme Court ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Local Taxes ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers ,
State and Local Government ,
State Taxes ,
Tax Assessment ,
Tax Liability ,
Tobacco Regulations
On June 20, the Supreme Court concluded that marketing denial orders (MDOs) issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can be challenged not only by the applicants (typically, the manufacturer or importer of the...more
7/11/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Appeals ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food and Drug Administration v RJ Reynolds Vapor Co ,
Judicial Review ,
Manufacturers ,
Marketing ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retailers ,
SCOTUS ,
Tobacco
Effective July 1, Mississippi will require all cigarette and ENDS manufacturers to provide annual certifications and have their products listed on a state directory in order for their products to be sold in the state. The...more
In the first major enforcement action involving the importation of illegal tobacco products by the new administration, and on the heels of the appointment of the new acting director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration...more
5/30/2025
/ China ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Government Agencies ,
Imports ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Trademarks
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
On January 21, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case addressing who may challenge Food and Drug Administration (FDA) marketing denial orders for new tobacco products....more
2/4/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Appeals ,
Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Judicial Authority ,
Marketing ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retail Sales ,
RJ Reynolds ,
SCOTUS ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Control Act (TCA) ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Vaping ,
Venue
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
Bryan Haynes, a partner in Troutman Pepper Locke’s Tobacco + Nicotine Practice Group, was quoted in the January 10, 2025 Convenience Store News article, “Retailers Tap Into Pricing & Data to Boost Cigar Sales.”...more
1/14/2025
/ Data Collection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Marketing ,
Pricing ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Retail Market ,
Retail Sales ,
Retailers ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations
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 the ninth episode of our 12 Days of Regulatory Insights podcast series, Michael Jordan, a member of the firm's Tobacco + Nicotine practice, is joined by colleagues Bryan Haynes and Agustin Rodriguez to delve into the...more
Last month, California Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta announced the awardees for the 2024-2025 Tobacco Grant Program, a program spearheaded by the California Department of Justice (DOJ) that aims to support local law...more