Miyares, several other attorneys general across U.S. call for Trump to take action on illegal e-cigarettes
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced he joined dozens of other attorneys general in asking President Donald Trump to combat illegal e-cigarettes in the United States.
On Thursday, April 15, Miyares announced he and 28 other attorneys general from states like South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and more submitted a letter to the Trump administration asking him to take further steps to prevent the sale and distribution of illegal e-cigarettes.
In a release from Oct. 2024, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -- in collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) -- announced an administrative seizure of approximately three million units of unauthorized e-cigarette products.
The production and sale of e-cigarettes has been an ongoing subject of debate amongst Americans and political officials. There are very few brands cleared for sale within the U.S., per the FDA. All others are currently illegal.
Miyares, in his press release, criticized the branding of some of these e-cigarette products, believing they are intentionally marketed towards children.
“Virginia is committed to protecting our kids and holding bad actors accountable, whether they’re across the street or across the globe,” Miyares said. “No company gets to profit off the health and safety of Virginia’s kids without consequences.”
In the collaborative report, the FDA and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that they launched a joint federal task force to curb the distribution of and sale of illegal e-cigarettes.
"Upon examining shipments which originated in China, the investigative team found various brands of illegal e-cigarettes such as 'Geek Bar' and several others," the FDA said in that report.
Brian King, the director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, said this was not the first joint seizure operation and it will not be the last.
"We will continue to relentlessly pursue those attempting to smuggle illegal e-cigarettes," King said.
