VTA Backs Trump's RFK Jr. Nomination, Calls for Regulatory Reform

Nov.18.2024
VTA Backs Trump's RFK Jr. Nomination, Calls for Regulatory Reform
VTA supports Trump's nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS Secretary, citing efforts to reform FDA regulations, reduce smoking harm, and protect small businesses and consumer choice.

The Vapor Technology Association (VTA) recently praised President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), calling it a demonstration of decisive leadership. 

 

VTA stated that the nomination reflects Trump's commitment to addressing government inefficiencies, particularly the bureaucratic regulatory processes led by FDA and the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP).

 

VTA Backs Trump's RFK Jr. Nomination, Calls for Regulatory Reform
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. | Image source: flickr

 

"President Trump has vowed to save flavored vaping and RFK has vowed to Make America Healthy Again by ending chronic diseases driven by the industrial complex. The thousands of small businesses in the vapor industry, the hundreds of thousands of Americans they employ, and the tens of millions of Americans who depend on the industry for freedom to choose less harmful flavored nicotine alternatives to quit smoking, are counting on President Trump, RFK, and the rest of the Trump administration, VTA Executive Director Tony Abboud said.

 

The VTA is calling on the government "to implement a new, streamlined regulatory process that elevates science over politics, that ensures broad access to flavored vapes to end chronic smoking related diseases, and that eliminates bureaucratic conflicts of interest with transparent and rational scientific standards to fix the FDA's current broken regulatory framework. Swift and decisive action can save 500,000 American lives lost to cigarettes every year."

 

VTA Backs Trump's RFK Jr. Nomination, Calls for Regulatory Reform
Announcement content | Image source: VTA

 

Previously, VTA claimed that its e-cigarette voters helped conservative party candidates secure victory in the election. During this election, Abd met face-to-face with Donald Trump, and VTA released a statement at the time thanking Trump for taking two bold and decisive actions in 2019: saving flavored e-cigarettes for adult use and raising the age to 21 to protect teenagers.

 

After the meeting, Trump stated on the social media platform Truth Social:

 

"I saved Flavored Vaping in 2019, and it greatly!helped people get off smoking.l raised the age to21, keeping it away from the "kids." Kamala and Joe want everything banned, killing small businesses allover the Country. i'll save Vaping again!"

 

VTA Backs Trump's RFK Jr. Nomination, Calls for Regulatory Reform
Tony Abboud in a photo with Donald Trump. | Source: VTA

 

According to its official website, the Vapor Technology Association (VTA) is a non-profit trade group founded in Washington, D.C., in 2015. It focuses on advancing the vapor product industry, advocating for science-based regulatory policies, and ensuring adult consumers' access to safer nicotine alternatives. Its membership includes device manufacturers, e-liquid producers, distributors, suppliers, and retailers.

 

Product | FOGER Introduces Switch Pro 30K Nixodine Pod in U.S. Retail, Bringing 6-MN Related Formulation to High-Capacity Pod Platform
Product | FOGER Introduces Switch Pro 30K Nixodine Pod in U.S. Retail, Bringing 6-MN Related Formulation to High-Capacity Pod Platform
FOGER has introduced the Switch Pro 30K Nixodine Pod in U.S. retail channels, bringing a 6-methylnicotine (6-MN)-related formulation into its reusable Switch Pro 30K pod ecosystem. The product retains the existing reusable dock and magnetic replacement pod architecture, featuring a 19ml prefilled pod, dual-mesh heating and Normal/Boost modes. The Nixodine version is labeled nicotine-free in terms of conventional nicotine but uses a 5% Nixodine-related formulation. The product has appeared in U.S. retail and wholesale channels, with some listings indicating Kentucky-only availability.
Aug.28
Product | KT&G to Launch lil Tonino Lamborghini in South Korea, Bringing 3-Second Heat-Up to New HTP Platform
Product | KT&G to Launch lil Tonino Lamborghini in South Korea, Bringing 3-Second Heat-Up to New HTP Platform
KT&G will launch the lil Tonino Lamborghini heated tobacco device in Seoul on September 15, 2026. The product introduces a new heating technology called Flashwave Heating, which uses microwaves to heat tobacco sticks internally and delivers a manufacturer-rated heat-up time of about three seconds. The device features an all-metal aluminum body, a color display and a dedicated GUI, and launches alongside a new line of NAU tobacco sticks that are incompatible with existing lil consumables. Korean media describe the product as KT&G's first new heated tobacco platform since lil AIBLE was introduced in 2022.
Aug.31
U.S. Military Could Test Nicotine Pouches and Vapes for Smoking Cessation as Washington Examiner Cites ZYN and Potential $4 Billion Reduction in Related Defense Costs
U.S. Military Could Test Nicotine Pouches and Vapes for Smoking Cessation as Washington Examiner Cites ZYN and Potential $4 Billion Reduction in Related Defense Costs
The House-passed FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act includes a provision authorizing the defense secretary to conduct a one-year smoking-cessation pilot for active-duty service members. Section 707 lists counseling, nicotine gum and patches alongside what the bill calls "electric nicotine delivery systems," nicotine pouches and heat-not-burn products. A recent Washington Examiner op-ed cited ZYN as an example in arguing for the provision, but the legislation does not name any commercial brand or supplier. ZYN is made by PMI-owned Swedish Match USA, with specified products holding FDA marketing authorizations and modified risk orders.
Sep.20
GSTHR Estimates 200 Million People Use Non-Combustible Nicotine Products as 28 Countries Show Rising Use Alongside Falling Smoking Rates
GSTHR Estimates 200 Million People Use Non-Combustible Nicotine Products as 28 Countries Show Rising Use Alongside Falling Smoking Rates
The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction, a project operated by Knowledge·Action·Change, estimates that about 200 million people worldwide use non-combustible nicotine products including vapes, heated tobacco, nicotine pouches and snus. Its 2026 report says use of these products rose alongside declining smoking rates in 28 countries it analyzed. The data do not establish that all 200 million users have quit smoking, nor do they prove a direct causal relationship. GSTHR also says regulatory restrictions on the products continue to expand in many markets.
Sep.10
BREAKING | China’s Tobacco Regulator Summons iMiracle Over Suspected Compliance Breaches
BREAKING | China’s Tobacco Regulator Summons iMiracle Over Suspected Compliance Breaches
Based on public records reviewed by 2Firsts, this is the first time China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration has publicly announced regulatory talks with an e-cigarette company.
Jul.29
F1 Faces Renewed Pressure Over Tobacco and Nicotine Sponsorships as 67 Groups Target ZYN and VELO Ahead of Madrid Race
F1 Faces Renewed Pressure Over Tobacco and Nicotine Sponsorships as 67 Groups Target ZYN and VELO Ahead of Madrid Race
Ahead of the Formula 1 race in Madrid, 67 Spanish and international public-health, medical and consumer organizations have sent an open letter to F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali calling for an end to sponsorships linked to the tobacco and nicotine industry, including nicotine pouches, vaping products and heated tobacco. The letter focuses on Philip Morris International’s ZYN partnership with Ferrari and British American Tobacco’s long-running partnership with McLaren and exposure for VELO. The campaign follows a March letter in which more than 160 organizations worldwide made a similar request to Formula 1.
Sep.10