The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) and four associations affiliated with the convenience store and travel center industries are calling on the White House to crack down on the sale of illegal vape products from China in the marketplace.
The letter sent on July 18 was also signed by the Energy Marketers of America, National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO), National Association of Truck Stop Operators (NATSO) and the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA).
In the letter, the organizations said the Trump administration needs to provide “clarity” and “enforcement” when it comes to the illicit vape market.
“The convenience store and travel center industries are facing a crisis of illicit product from China,” the letter said. “Vape and e-cigarette products have been flooding our country for years and drawing business away from law-abiding retailers.”
The letter also said there needs to be modifications made at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) to combat this issue.
“We need change at the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) and help from the federal enforcement agencies to clean up this mess,” the letter said. “We are asking for your help to do that.”
The letter said that the c-store industry is “systematically” losing sales to businesses that sell illicit products.
“The reasons why this is happening are clear and solvable,” it said. “The CTP has abandoned its fundamental responsibility as a regulator.”
The letter outlined four recommendations “to clean up the mess that CTP helped create.”
This list includes:
- Requiring CTP to decide all premarket applications.
- Requiring CTP to provide clarity on products.
- Supercharging the multi-agency task force for enforcement actions.
- Requiring more from Customs and Border Protection to prevent illicit vapes entering marketplace.
In 2024, Trump said on his social media platform that he would “save Vaping again!” In a post on Truth Social, he said, “I saved flavored vaping in 2019, and it greatly helped people get off smoking.”
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