New E-Cigarette Regulation in Tennessee Takes Effect in August: Retailers Required to Purchase from Licensed Distributors

Key points:

·New Law Implemented: Tennessee Requires E-Cigarette Manufacturers to Register Products Starting August 1st, and Retailers Can Only Purchase from Licensed Distributors. 

·Compliance Challenges: Store owners are confused about how to ensure product legality and compliance as related rules are still being perfected. 

·FDA Approval Issues: Verification tools will not be made public until 2026, making it difficult for store owners to verify product legality. 

·Enforcement and Fairness: Tennessee Smoke-Free Association President Danny Gillis believes enforcement will be a problem, and achieving fair competition in the short term will be challenging. 

·Controversy over Legislative Goals: Bill sponsor David Hawk claims the law aims to curb youth e-cigarette use, but Gillis believes it is more about large tobacco companies controlling the industry.

【2Firsts News Flash】According to a report by Fox17 on July 29, a new e-cigarette law in Tennessee will require e-cigarette manufacturers to register each product they sell in the state with the Tennessee Department of Revenue starting on August 1. Retailers will only be allowed to purchase e-cigarette products from licensed distributors.

The new regulations and taxes are causing many challenges for tobacco shops.

Danny Gillis, the chairman of Smoke-Free Tennessee, expressed concern about the so-called new regulations on e-cigarettes.

“E-cigarette store owners will face some challenges in ensuring that the products they purchase are legal and compliant.”

According to a notification from the Tennessee Department of Revenue, the new law will be implemented in three phases.

Starting from July 1st, a 10% tax will be imposed on e-cigarette products.

Starting on August 1st, manufacturers will need to register any e-cigarette products they plan to sell in Tennessee.

Tennessee has banned the sale of e-cigarettes that are not listed in the e-cigarette product directory, effective January 1, 2027.

However, some shop owners say things are not so simple, as the rules they need to follow are still being finalized.

“I believe that this legislation is somewhat putting the cart before the horse. Therefore, I think we should first obtain e-cigarette licenses so that we can know who is selling, and then we can control distribution.”

Earlier this month, the bill's sponsor, state representative David Hawk, stated that the goal is to ensure that only safe and legal products are being sold.

“E-cigarette stores must sell legal products, which are products that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or are listed on the FDA approved list.”

However, Gillis stated that there is one issue: the FDA's list has not been released yet, and the tools that stores will ultimately use to verify legitimate products will not be made public until 2026.

Given that enforcement will begin in one year, Gilles stated that stores are working hard to keep up with the upcoming changes.

“I believe enforcement will be the issue, and I think that it will not be a fair competitive environment for some time.”

In a statement, Congressman David Hogg stated...

“They have 19 months to comply with the regulations for selling legal products. This should be more than enough time.”

He stated that the purpose of this law is to curb the use of e-cigarettes among teenagers.

However, at a government operation committee meeting, Gilles argued that this had nothing to do with public health, but was about control.

“This legislation is not aimed at restricting teenagers' access to e-cigarettes, but rather giving large tobacco companies control over our harm reduction industry. They haven't even tried to hide what they're doing.”