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On June 22, 2023, FDA announced it had issued warning letters to 189 retailers for selling unauthorized flavored tobacco products manufactured by Elf Bar and Esco Bar brands. This enforcement action comes on the heels of earlier aggressive action by FDA in its issuance of more than 570 warning letters to firms for the manufacture

Keller and Heckman Partner Azim Chowdhury was interviewed for the CSP Magazine article, “Regulations 2023: One Thing After Another.” The article discusses the many regulatory updates coming for tobacco products in 2023, including a likely ban on menthol cigarettes, an effective ban on non-tobacco flavored vapor products, new retail signage requirements, and even the likelihood

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Banner to advertise Keller and Heckman's series of articles on tobacco regulation in the European Union, with imagery of an e-vapor device, cigarettes, and a European Union flag.

On February 21, 2023, the European Commission opened a public consultation[1] seeking feedback on the performance of the current legislative framework for tobacco products, and ways that the legislation could be improved. All interested stakeholders can submit comments until May 16, 2023.

I. Background

In May 2008, the European Commission issued a report[2]

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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

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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

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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%