Photo of Azim ChowdhuryPhoto of Josephine Hsu

On March 10, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a long-awaited proposed rule on Requirements for Tobacco Product Manufacturing Practice (TPMP),[1] which sets forth proposed requirements for the manufacture, design, packing, and storage of tobacco products[2]. The proposed requirements are essentially “good manufacturing practices” for tobacco products and are intended to minimize

The extended early-bird discount for Keller and Heckman’s annual E-Vapor and Tobacco Law Symposium expires tomorrow, Friday, February 3. Register now in order to save $100 on your registration!

In addition to legal experts from Keller and Heckman, this year’s program will feature an impressive lineup of industry experts.

Meet this year’s guest speakers:

From December 5-7, 2022, Keller and Heckman hosted a private conference with the China State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) on the topic of U.S. and global e-cigarette and tobacco product regulation. The event was approved by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and was attended by over 700 officials from STMA and its local

Photo of Azim ChowdhuryPhoto of Eric P. GottingPhoto of Ian Murray

On November 8, 2022, California voters approved[1] the Referendum on 2020 Law That Would Prohibit the Retail Sale of Certain Flavored Tobacco Products (Proposition 31). The referendum, submitted in accordance with the provisions of Section 9 of Article II of the California Constitution, asked California citizens to vote on whether to uphold a 2020


Keller and Heckman Partner Azim Chowdhury authored the Filter article, “Fundamental Flaws of Tobacco Control Act—and FDA’s Implementation,” published on November 14, 2022. The article discusses the Tobacco Control Act, passed by Congress in 2009, which gave the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority over tobacco and nicotine products. Azim describes some of the

Photo of Azim ChowdhuryPhoto of Ian Murray

On October 18, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug AdministratDepartment of Justice Sealion (FDA), filed complaints for permanent injunctions against six domestic e-liquid manufacturers across different federal district courts, all of which appear to be small vape shops that were producing nicotine-containing e-liquids used in open-system e-cigarette devices.

  • On October 6, 2022, FDA and CDC released data from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a school-based, cross-sectional, self-administered survey of U.S. middle school (grades 6–8) and high school (grades 9–12) students. The study was conducted from January to May 2022. According to the survey, 14.1% of U.S. high school students and 3.3%

Photo of Azim ChowdhuryPhoto of Eric GuPhoto of David J. Ettinger

With the implementation of the Management Rules of E-cigarettes and the forthcoming effective date for the GB Standard on E-cigarettes (October 1, 2022), China has been regularly updating its e-cigarette regulations. Following up on our recent articles on China’s GB Standard and manufacturer license requirements, below we summarize various e-cigarette regulations recently promulgated by the

Keller and Heckman Counsel Daniel McGee will present, “Navigating Evolving Vaping Laws Around the Country – State Law Update,” at the Next Generation Nicotine Delivery USA 2022 event, June 22-23, 2022, in Miami, Florida. This event will bring together business leaders from the ENDS and tobacco industry together with other experts in the field for

Photo of Azim ChowdhuryPhoto of David J. EttingerPhoto of Eric Gu

Following China’s new GB standard on e-cigarettes that we summarized in early May 2022, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) has now published a rule outlining the process for Chinese e-cigarette manufacturers to obtain the required manufacturer license. This rule applies not only to manufacturers producing e-cigarettes for the domestic Chinese market, but also to