Key point: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently filed civil money penalty complaints against 22 retailers for illegally selling vaping products, with each complaint seeking up to $19,192 for a single violation.
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) filed civil money penalty (CMP) complaints against 22 retailers for illegally selling vaping products. The complaints seek civil penalties of up to $19,192 for each retailer’s single violation.The FDA said it had previously warned these retailers through warning letters to stop selling unauthorized tobacco products. However, during follow-up inspections, the FDA found that the retailers had not corrected the violations, which led to this civil penalty action. These 22 retailers may pay the penalty, enter into a settlement agreement, request an extension of time to respond to the complaint, or file a response and request a hearing. Retailers that fail to take action within 30 days of receiving the civil penalty complaint may face a default order and be required to pay the full penalty. Brian King, Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said: “The FDA has made it abundantly clear that we are committed to using the full scope of our authorities, as appropriate, to hold those who break the law accountable.”
