Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall joined a coalition of 27 states pushing President Donald Trump’s administration to combat the influx of allegedly illegal Chinese e-cigarettes into the United States that the group argues target children.
According to Marshall’s office, last year, billions worth of illegal Chinese e-cigarettes were sold in the United States. The multi-state coalition also accuses the manufacturers of directly targeting children and teens.
“It’s time for America to take a stand against the flood of illegal Chinese e-cigarettes that are circumventing federal law and targeting our youth,” said Marshall. “Our coalition urges the Trump administration to take additional actions to keep these harmful and illegal products out of our country and away from our kids.”
According to Marshall’s office, manufacturers and distributors of Chinese e-cigarettes often fail to submit applications for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review before selling their products in the United States. Many are intentionally mislabeled to avoid detection by the FDA or U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They also evade inspections and basic security procedures, putting Americans at risk of inhaling unknown toxins.
“Illegal, flavored Chinese e-cigarettes are flooding the U.S. market in flagrant disregard of State and federal laws,” the coalition’s letter reads. “The products have never been approved by the FDA and target America’s youth. Most unauthorized e-cigarettes on the market today remain a top priority for FDA enforcement. They are often brought into the country in mislabeled packaging or shipped in a manner specifically designed to evade detection by the FDA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”
It continues, “The danger of illicit Chinese e-cigarettes is magnified by their appeal to children. The products are designed to target youth with colorful packaging, sweet flavors with appealing names, and video-game themes. While youth use of all tobacco products is at its lowest level recorded in 25 years, most kids who have reported using e-cigarettes in the prior 30 days are using illegally smuggled Chinese-made products. Chinese manufacturers and their distributors do not even attempt to comply with the law by submitting applications for FDA review before selling their products in the United States. And many companies deliberately misrepresent the status of their applications—sowing confusion among US retailers. Chinese manufacturers avoid inspections, evade basic safety and manufacturing best practices, and subject Americans to addictive products that may contain harmful carcinogens and other unknown toxins.”
The coalition is pushing Trump to enact measures similar to those in his first administration, including:
- Instructing a federal multi-agency task force to prioritize curbing the distribution and sale of illegal Chinese e-cigarettes,
- Giving Customs and Border Protection the power to seize illicit tobacco products,
- Prosecuting and increasing penalties for violators who help peddle illegal Chinese e-cigarettes and
- Strengthening enforcement at the border to crack down on e-cigarettes.
Alabama joined Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming and Guam.
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