FRANKFORT, KY (April 11, 2025) – Attorney General Russell Coleman announced today he is asking the Trump Administration to partner with states to protect kids from illegal Chinese e-cigarettes. In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and others,
General Coleman and 28 other attorneys general underscore the threat of illegal, flavored Chinese e-cigarettes that are flooded into U.S. markets in flagrant disregard of Kentucky and federal law.
Last year, billions of dollars' worth of illegal Chinese e-cigarettes were sold in the United States. The products often use colorful packaging, sweet flavors and video-game themes designed to target teenagers and kids. While overall youth tobacco use is at a record low, most children who report using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days are using illegally smuggled, Chinese-made products.
Manufacturers and distributors of Chinese e-cigarettes often fail to submit applications for FDA review before selling their products in the U.S. Many of these illicit products are intentionally mislabeled to avoid detection by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They also evade inspections and basic security procedures, putting Americans at risk of inhaling unknown toxins.
"Despite their youth-focused marketing, these e-cigarettes are no child's play. These dangerous products are filled with toxins and chemicals designed to addict and harm our kids," said Attorney General Coleman. "These Chinese vapes are illegal for a reason, and we must do all we can to keep them out of the hands of our children."
President Trump cracked down on illegal Chinese e-cigarettes during his first administration, but the Biden Administration opened the floodgates for China to smuggle in the dangerous, kid-targeted vapes. The attorneys general are urging the Trump Administration to build on its previous efforts by:
- Instructing a federal multi-agency task force to prioritize curbing the distribution and sale of illegal Chinese e-cigarettes,
- Giving Customs and Border Protection the power to seize illicit tobacco products,
- Prosecuting and increasing penalties for violators who help peddle illegal Chinese e-cigarettes, and
- Strengthening enforcement at the border to crack down on e-cigarettes.
Kentucky and a coalition of 28 other attorneys general are committed to working with the Trump Administration to make these changes a reality.
Kentucky joined the Iowa-led letter, along with Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Guam.
Read the full letter here.
In addition to sending this letter, Attorney General Coleman has been leading the defense of Kentucky's laws regulating the vaping industry. Earlier this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit unanimously denied the vaping industry's attempt to halt Kentucky's laws regulating vapor products. A copy of the opinion is available here.
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