Utah has joined the ranks of states implementing stringent regulations on vaping, marking its position as the fifth state to enact a PMTA (Pre-Market Tobacco Authorization) registry law and the sixth to impose a ban on flavored vape products. The bill, known as SB 61, received Governor Spencer Cox’s signature on Wednesday and is slated to be enforced starting January 1, 2025.
The proliferation of PMTA registry bills is currently underway in approximately two dozen state legislatures across the country. States like Vermont, Virginia, and Florida have already witnessed the passage of similar bills through their legislatures, awaiting gubernatorial approval. These initiatives are often spearheaded by industry titans such as Altria Group and R.J. Reynolds, responding to a decline in traditional cigarette sales attributed to the popularity of unauthorized disposable vape products.
The newly enacted Utah bill, which garnered substantial support in both chambers of the State Legislature in February, introduces additional hurdles for vaping consumers and businesses within a state that already boasts a complex array of vape product regulations. The legislation encompasses several key provisions:
- Prohibition of flavored vape products, with exceptions for tobacco and menthol flavors.
- Restriction on the sale of products lacking FDA marketing authorization or pending PMTAs.
- Ban on all unauthorized synthetic nicotine products, including those awaiting PMTA approval.
- Mandate for manufacturers to submit product lists, accompanied by evidence of compliance with state standards and a per-product fee of $1,000, by August 1.
- Establishment of a state-approved product list (PMTA registry) by October 1.
- Enforcement of the ban on the sale of vape products absent from the state registry beginning January 1, 2025.
The FDA has thus far authorized a mere seven vaping devices, exclusively from major tobacco companies such as Altria (NJOY), Reynolds (Vuse), and Japan Tobacco (Logic), alongside tobacco-flavored refills. Notably absent from FDA approval are open-system (refillable) products, bottled e-liquids, and non-tobacco flavored options.
Advocates of the bill contend that it represents a crucial measure in combating what they describe as a “youth vaping epidemic” in Utah. State Senator Jen Plumb, the bill’s sponsor and a medical practitioner, asserts firsthand encounters with Utah teenagers grappling with nicotine addiction in hospital emergency rooms.
Utah’s existing regulatory framework already encompasses bans on private online vape purchases and restrictions on nicotine strength in locally sold products. Additionally, states including Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin have enacted PMTA registry laws, while California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island have implemented bans on most flavored vape products.
+ There are no comments
Add yours