The Shadow
RICHMOND, VA — Attorney General Jason Miyares has joined 28 other attorneys general urging the Trump administration to continue combating the flood of illegal Chinese-manufactured e-cigarettes that are being marketed to American children.
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 appeal to teenagers and kids. Despite youth tobacco use reaching historic lows, the majority of kids who report using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days are using illegally smuggled, unregulated Chinese-made products.
“Virginia is committed to protecting our kids and holding bad actors accountable, whether they’re across the street or across the globe,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares. “No company gets to profit off the health and safety of Virginia’s kids without consequences.”
Many of the China-based e-cigarette manufacturers and distributors deliberately bypass critical public health safeguards, intentionally mislabeling products to evade detection by the FDA and U.S. Customs. This puts young Americans at risk of inhaling unknown and potentially toxic substances.
The coalition is urging the Trump administration to build on its previous efforts to crack down on illegal Chinese e-cigarettes that are being marketed to kids by:
• Instructing a federal multi-agency task force to prioritize curbing the distribution and sale of illegal Chinese e-cigarettes,
• Empowering Customs and Border Protection to seize illicit tobacco products,
• Prosecuting those trafficking illegal Chinese e-cigarettes and increasing penalties,
• Strengthening border enforcement to prevent the flow of unregulated tobacco products.
The States are committed to working with the Trump Administration to hold accountable those who pour Chinese e-cigarettes into the United States at the risk of American kids.
Attorney General Miyares joins attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Guam in signing the letter.
