The bill would also prohibit remote retail sales, meaning online sales of deemed products would not be allowed. The bill says this is necessary in order to prevent youth access to tobacco products and the inability to ensure the same level of face-to-face identification and age verification with remote sales.
Flavored tobacco products–including menthol–would be prohibited. The only way a manufacturer would be permitted to use a flavor in its tobacco product would be if the FDA determined that a flavor would be appropriate for the “protection of public health.” The chances of that happening are slim to none.
The bill also gives the FDA the authority to not only collect user fees from all classes of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, but it also increases the total amount of fees that can be collected by $100 million. The bill notes that this proposal was included in President Trump’s fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget.
Supporters
The bill has the support of various public health advocacy groups including: the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Thoracic Society, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, March of Dimes, and National African American Tobacco Prevention Network.
You can read the bill in its entirety by clicking here. For all the latest legislation and FDA news impacting the tobacco industry, click here.
