Washington, D.C. – Friday, February 20, 2026: “VTA applauds the Kansas Legislature for advancing Senate Bill 355, legislation that takes meaningful, common-sense steps to protect Kansas youth from the marketing and sale of e-cigarettes; a bill that stands in stark contrast to the ineffective PMTA registry bills that have circulated in statehouses across the country. 

For years, VTA has called on state legislators to adopt smart youth protection laws that can actually make a difference. Kansas Senate Bill 355 does exactly that. The bill explicitly prohibits marketing e-cigarettes to minors by banning cartoon characters, youth-oriented imagery, celebrity endorsements, and entertainment features from packaging and advertising. These are substantive measures that will make a real difference, directly targeting the tactics of bad actors while protecting adult vapers’ freedom of choice. 

Too many states have been pushed to adopt PMTA registry bills that do nothing to address youth appeal, restrict deceptive marketing, or close age verification loopholes — the factors that drive youth access to e-cigarettes in the first place. 

VTA looks forward to working with the Kansas Legislature and Governor Kelly to ensure effective implementation of this law. We call on legislators in other states to follow Kansas’ lead by adopting proven policies to reduce youth access while preserving the right of adult consumers to access less harmful alternatives to cigarettes.” 

Statement attributable to Tony Abboud, Executive Director

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Washington, D.C. – Thursday, February 12, 2026: On Tuesday, the FDA held a Roundtable on Premarket Tobacco Application (PMTA) Submissions for Electronic Delivery Systems (ENDS) Products. The Vapor Technology Association welcomed the opportunity for our members and other small businesses to participate and advocate on behalf of our industry, face-to-face with leadership at the FDA. 

We hoped to have a constructive, collaborative conversation that would advance a clear and fair regulatory approach that is grounded in scientific standards, predictability, and common sense. A standards-based framework would enable American companies to plan and invest in life-saving technologies, and would create an efficient process for the review and approval of lawful, American-made vapor products, including e-liquids and open-system devices. Scientific predictability and transparency are the only way to create a prosperous free market for life-saving vaping products – something President Trump’s administration typically supports as it’s in clear alignment with his America First policy agenda. 

Small businesses made it completely clear that they wanted and needed transparent and objective scientific standards governing how vape products should be made and how they should perform. VTA was pleased to hear Commissioner Makary acknowledge the need for scientific standards and predictability for small businesses. Unfortunately, we were disappointed by so many FDA representatives throughout the meeting who either argued for continued scientific ambiguity or completely rejected standards. Their comments signaled a lack of alignment among FDA leadership on providing clear and predictable scientific standards or guidance for our industry – or even benchmarks that would ensure product and consumer safety. We received no guarantee of additional clarity on the broken and opaque PMTA rule and process, which has been used to prevent access to the products that Americans who smoke want and need to quit smoking deadly cigarettes. 

While VTA applauds the FDA’s effort to engage with stakeholders, we hope that this roundtable is the first of many steps towards meaningful action, not the full extent. 

Statement attributable to Tony Abboud, Executive Director of the Vapor Technology Association.

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