WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report highlighted the challenges at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the premarket tobacco and nicotine product application review framework. The report underscored significant performance issues at the agency and the need for greater accountability, while also acknowledging FDA’s more recent strides to improve its regulatory performance. FDA’s failure to authorize smoke-free products

Chairman Burr: The choice before the Agency is clear: accelerate authorization of legal, smoke-free alternatives so adult consumers can find what they want in the regulated marketplace or continue with a status quo that is fueling a massive illicit market WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Richard Burr, chairman of the Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine (Regulate Smarter) and former U.S. Senator, issued the following statement after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (F

Coalition praises Trump Administration on enforcement gains, urges continued action to curb illicit market coming from China WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine (Regulate Smarter) today issued the following statement on President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping: "As President Trump sits down with Xi Jinping, the flood of illicit Chinese nicotine products remains a clear threat to American consumer safety and national s

As Regulate Smarter continues its work supporting the modernization of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approach to smoke-free nicotine products, the Coalition is releasing the final installment in its multi-part video series, “Smarter Regulation Now.” Watch the video here. Featuring insights from voices across the law enforcement community and Coalition Chairman Richard Burr, this episode underscores the scope of the illicit nicotine product market and the consequ

As Regulate Smarter ramps up its fall advocacy push for modernizing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approach to smokefree nicotine products, the Coalition is releasing the latest installment in its multi-part video series, “Smarter Regulation Now.” Watch the video here. Featuring a direct to camera testimonial from Coalition Chairman Richard Burr, this episode takes viewers back in time to 2009 when Congress passed the bipartisan Tobacco Control Act. The legislati

The closing weeks of summer have brought encouraging news on multiple fronts in the pursuit of smarter regulation of nicotine products. Not only has the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized additional smoke-free products for adult consumers, but the news has been dominated by headlines from a Cochrane study showing nicotine e-cigarettes as more effective at helping adults quit smoking than other FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapies. Cochrane: “Vapes hel

The latest installment of Regulate Smarter’s multi-part video series, “Smarter Regulation Now” features Tom Lesnak, a former special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with deep expertise infiltrating black-market smuggling rings, outlining the links between the illicit nicotine market and sophisticated criminal networks. Watch the video here. Lesnak warns that the scale of the illicit market cannot be understated: billions of dollars in

As Regulate Smarter continues its work to help the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) modernize its approach to nicotine products, the Coalition is releasing the fourth installment in its multi-part video series, “Smarter Regulation Now.” Featuring behind-the-scenes testimonials from expert panelists at a recent Coalition-sponsored event in Washington, D.C., the latest episode highlights remarks from Rich Marianos, a retired Assistant Director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcoh

Progress against underage vaping depends on eliminating the illicit market, not recycling failed prohibitionist approaches of the past WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine (Regulate Smarter) today issued the following statement on the Preventing Opportunities for Teen E-Cigarette and Tobacco Addiction (PROTECT) Act introduced by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL): “Underage vaping h

Regulate Smarter is continuing its “Smarter Regulation Now” video series with Rana Saoud, an expert on illicit trade and intellectual property protection who spent nearly 30 years with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the principal investigative arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Watch the third installment here. During her career at HSI, Saoud held several leadership roles focused on global trade investigations, counterfeit goods, and transnati

Regulate Smarter: “Leading public health authorities agree that it’s time to include e-cigarettes in patient-centered conversations regarding cessation that can help adult smokers leave cigarettes behind. It’s time for FDA to catch up.” WASHINGTON, D.C. – A groundbreaking analysis published in JAMA, one of the nation’s most well-respected medical publications, calls for the integration of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized e-cigarettes into patient-centered

As Regulate Smarter continues its work to modernize the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approach to nicotine products, the Coalition is releasing the latest installment in its multi-part video series, “Smarter Regulation Now.” Featuring behind-the-scenes testimonials from expert panelists at a recent Coalition-sponsored event in Washington, D.C., the latest episode highlights remarks from Aaron Graham, a retired Special Agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrat

As Regulate Smarter continues our important work seeking to modernize the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approach to nicotine products, the Coalition is launching a multi-part video series called “Smarter Regulation Now.” Featuring behind-the-scenes testimonials from expert panelists at a recent Coalition-sponsored event in Washington, D.C., the first installment features Jon Adler, President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation. Watch the v

FDA’s 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey Finds Continued Declines in E-Cigarette and Overall Tobacco Use, Underscoring Progress in Reducing Underage Tobacco Use WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine (Regulate Smarter) today welcomed the latest findings shared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) confirming that youth tobacco use has reached historic lows. Notable findings from the 2

In new op-ed for the Washington Examiner, Regulate Smarter Chairman Richard Burr praises recent FDA action to prioritize enforcement of illicit Chinese vapes flooding the U.S. market and targeting kids WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a new op-ed for the Washington Examiner, Richard Burr, chairman of the Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine (Regulate Smarter) and former U.S. Senator, praised the increased enforcement actions taken by the Trump Administration against the illicit

Massive federal crackdown on illicit vapes — especially Chinese products targeting kids — hailed as critical step for protecting consumers and combatting the illicit nicotine product crisis WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, Richard Burr, chairman of the Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine (Regulate Smarter) and former U.S. Senator, praised U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) seizure of more than 18 million units of illicit electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS)

Coalition files formal comments in response to March 2026 “Draft Guidance for Industry: Flavored Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) Premarket Applications – Considerations Related to Youth Risk” WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) March 2026 Draft Guidance addressing how it reviews flavored e-cigarettes (ENDS) for authorization, the Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine (Regulate Smarter) filed comments urging FDA to

Data from the latest National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) delivers unequivocal good news: youth e-cigarette use continues its sharp decline. Not only is youth cigarette smoking at a historically low 1.4%, but also youth vaping at its lowest level in a decade, a reduction of 74% from its peak around 2019. Yet arguments from opponents of reduced harm strategies remain stubbornly stuck in the past. They are fixated on blanket opposition, ignoring the new data in favor of their o

FDA must advance reforms to its review process and harness the potential of innovation and technology of lower-risk smoke-free products for adult consumers while continuing to enforce against the illicit market WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, former U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), chairman of the Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine (Regulate Smarter), issued the following statement after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized four flavored electronic ni

Regulate Smarter commends U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) for introducing the Eliminating Nefarious Distribution of Smuggled Chinese Vapes Act, or the ENDS Chinese Vapes Act. This legislation takes direct aim at the flood of unauthorized, illicit vapes pouring into the United States from Communist China, evading U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversight and overwhelming communities with products that pose serious risks to public health—especially to underage users draw