Virginia Introduces Legislation to Combat Youth E-Cigarette Use

According to a report from the US media outlet Richmond on January 12th, the state of Virginia has taken action by introducing two bills in the state assembly aiming to combat the issue of teenagers using unregulated e-cigarettes with sweet flavors.

The House Bill 1069 and the Senate Bill 550 stipulate that retailers and wholesalers will be fined $1000 for every sale of an e-cigarette product that does not have approval for market sale from the US FDA.

This is a public health issue," said Rodney Willett, the Democratic representative from Henrico County and sponsor of the proposed bill in the House. "They entice children to purchase through various flavors," he added, "I walked into a convenience store and was shocked by the sheer quantity of such products being sold.

Under the proposed legislation, retailers and wholesalers selling or distributing liquid nicotine or other nicotine products in the state of Virginia will be required to undergo scheduled or unscheduled compliance checks conducted by the Virginia Attorney General.

Manufacturers must provide documentation proving their products have obtained FDA market authorization orders in their submissions.

Furthermore, products that were sold in the United States prior to 2016 or received pre-market tobacco product applications prior to 2020 are exempt from this directive.

According to the latest survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, 10% of high school students use e-cigarettes. The report highlights that teenagers are particularly drawn to flavored disposable e-cigarettes and e-cigarette pods offered by brands that have been repeatedly warned by the FDA for violating federal laws. These brands include Elf Bar, Esco Bar, and Mr. Fog.

In order to support the implementation of the ban in Virginia, the proposed bill stipulates that individuals involved in the sale, storage, processing, or transportation of liquid nicotine or other nicotine products must retain all records pertaining to purchases, sales, exchanges, receipts, or transport for a period of three years. These records will be subject to auditing and inspection, and failure to maintain such records will be considered a criminal offense, punishable by a fine of $1,000.

Tobacco giant Altria, based in Virginia, is selling legal e-cigarette products. According to company spokesperson Steve Callahan, they are in favor of legislation that would permit the registration of legal e-cigarette products in the state and are actively working to combat the sale of illegal products.