Category: Around the Industry

As the Trump administration signals a softer stance on flavored vapes , anti-tobacco advocates in Minnesota are intensifying efforts to restrict flavored nicotine products at the local level. A coalition called “Love Your Lungs Olmsted” has formed in Olmsted County to push for a ban or restrictions on flavored vape sales. The campaign reflects a decade-long trend: 28 cities and 8 counties across Minnesota have now enacted some form of flavored nicotine restriction, with the Minneapolis suburb of Plymouth being the most recent, approving a ban in April 2026.

The federal backdrop is driving renewed urgency at the local level. On May 5, the FDA released guidance allowing California-based manufacturer Glas to market fruit-flavored e-cigarettes — including blueberry and mango variants — bringing the total number of FDA-authorized vapes to 45. Reporting from the Wall Street Journal and others indicated the FDA was under significant pressure from President Trump to approve the flavors, and the decision is cited as a factor in the departure of former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary.

Teen nicotine use, while declining, remains a concern animating the local push. According to the FDA’s National Youth Tobacco Survey, fewer than 10 percent of high school students reported nicotine use in the past 30 days in 2025 — down from a record high of 31 percent in 2019. Public health advocates and school officials argue that flavored products are the primary gateway, with the vast majority of underage users consuming flavored vapes. A chemical health specialist at Rochester Public Schools reported approximately 70 student referrals related to nicotine and THC abuse in the past school year, noting that vaping often precedes broader substance use.

Not all stakeholders support broad flavor bans as the most effective remedy. Brad Erpelding, president of Northland Vapor, which operates multiple locations in Fargo, North Dakota, argues that restricting sales to age-verified specialty shops — rather than gas stations and convenience stores — would be more targeted and effective. He points to the practical limitation of local bans: when Moorhead, Minnesota enacted its ordinance in 2021, he simply closed that location and opened a new store across the state line in Fargo, which was profitable within the week. The newly FDA-approved Glas vapes include technology pairing the device to the purchaser’s phone to verify the buyer is 21 or older, though anti-tobacco advocates expressed skepticism about the industry’s commitment to enforcement.

In a press release timed to World Vape Day 2026, the World Vapers’ Alliance argued that South African lawmakers are moving in the wrong direction on nicotine policy by aligning with calls for tighter restrictions on vapes and nicotine pouches. The release noted that the WHO marks World No Tobacco Day on May 31 with such calls and contrasted that stance with this year’s World Vape Day theme, “One Switch—Everyone Wins.”

The Alliance built much of its case around secondhand effects, contending that when a smoker switches to alternatives, the benefits extend beyond the individual. It cited risks to children from secondhand smoke, including asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis, along with maternal smoking outcomes such as low birth weight, preterm birth, and stillbirth and noted that children of smokers are more likely to become smokers themselves. Liza Katsiashvili, the group’s director of operations, argued that restricting or banning less harmful alternatives leaves families exposed to smoke rather than protecting them.

The release challenged South African Health Minister Motsoaledi’s characterization of harm reduction as a flawed premise, pointing to Sweden’s near smoke-free status, the UK’s halved smoking rate, and New Zealand’s reduction of smoking among under-25s to around 3 percent as examples of countries that actively promoted alternatives. Katsiashvili also raised South Africa’s illicit trade problem, arguing that pushing consumers away from regulated alternatives hands the market to cigarettes and unregulated black-market products.

U.S. Smokeless Tobacco plans to relocate its manufacturing operations from its Germantown facility in Nashville to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, ending a presence in the city that has spanned more than a century. The company described the move as part of an effort to modernize operations and improve efficiency. Production in Nashville is expected to wind down in early 2028, with the transition taking place over roughly two years.

More than 300 people currently work at the Nashville facility, which handles finishing and packaging for several of the company’s tobacco brands. Employees will be encouraged to apply for positions in Kentucky or Virginia, while those who do not relocate will be offered severance and transition support. The company also intends to sell its campus of more than 30 acres in the Germantown area once operations have moved out.

The announcement has already prompted questions locally about the future of the property. Councilmember Jacob Kupin said he had fielded numerous calls from neighbors and, pointing to prior developments such as East Bank and Wasioto Bend, said he looked forward to discussions about a future use for the site that serves Nashville.