Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is urging the Trump administration to take more action to combat the problem of illegal e-cigarettes being smuggled into the U.S. from China.

Steve Marshall supports crackdown on illegal Chinese e-cigarettes that target kids

Marshall joined a coalition of 27 states sending a letter that asks the administration to “continue along its path of protecting Americans and children from these illegal Chinese e-cigarettes.”

“It’s time for America to take a stand against the flood of illegal Chinese e-cigarettes that are circumventing federal law and targeting our youth,” Marshall wrote.

“Our coalition urges the Trump administration to take additional actions to keep these harmful and illegal products out of our country and away from our kids.”

Manufacturers and distributors of Chinese e-cigarettes often fail to submit applications for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review before selling their products in the U.S. Many are intentionally mislabeled to avoid detection by the FDA or U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They also evade inspections and basic security procedures, putting Americans at risk of inhaling unknown toxins.

According to a poll last year, 56% of likely voters support passing a law to create a Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) directory that would require manufacturers of vapor products to confirm their status. This would bolster enforcement capabilities against illegal disposable vapes.

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Some Alabama state lawmakers have tried to address the issue as well. State Rep. Barbara Drummond (D-Mobile) put forward a bill in 2023 that would require the Alabama Department of Revenue to build and maintain a directory of businesses that sell and manufacture vape cartridges, e-liquids and any alternative nicotine product in Alabama.

Trump took actions against the illegal Chinese e-cigarettes during his first administration, but the attorneys general argue that Biden opened the floodgates for China to smuggle in these dangerous, kid-targeted vapes.

In the letter, the attorneys general call on the administration to take the following actions:

• Instruct the federal multi-agency task force created in June 2024 to make stopping illegal Chinese e-cigarettes a top priority, and ensure the task force includes a representative from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP);
• Grant CBP independent seizure authority, in coordination with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), over illicit tobacco products;
• Designate an individual to lead the federal effort to combat illicit Chinese e-cigarettes;
• Prosecute identified violators and implement penalties significant enough to fundamentally alter the risk-reward calculus for participants in the illegal e-cigarette supply chain; and
• Enhance enforcement by the Department of Homeland Security to block, seize and destroy illegal e-cigarette products at the border, while coordinating with the Department of Justice to seek injunctions against major offenders and with the FDA to pursue violators with increased penalties.

Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee