The U.S. state of Mississippi has passed the PMTA Registration Act. Which restricts the sale of most single-use vapes, bottled vape liquids, and refillable vape devices. Requiring products to be authorized by the FDA or under review.
Key points:
1. Mississippi became the 11th U.S. state to pass a PMTA Registration Act. Restricting the sale of most single-use vapes, bottled vape liquids, and refillable vape devices, with the act taking effect in July 2025. The registration catalog in October, and enforcement will begin in December.
2. Manufacturers are required to be authorized by the FDA or under PMTA review. Submit certificates and a $500 application fee per product per year, and apply separately for product changes.
3. More than 20 states have considered similar bills, five are fully operational, and two are on hold due to litigation.
Mississippi Passes PMTA “White List” Bill
Mississippi has become the 11th U.S. state to pass a tobacco-backed PMTA registration bill. Which restricts the sale of most disposable vapes, bottled vape liquids, and refillable vape devices. Although about 20 other state legislatures are considering similar bills, this is the first registration bill to pass this year.
The new bill passed the Mississippi House of Representatives in late Jan by a unanimous vote of 120 and the state Senate in early March by a unanimous vote of 48. On March 20, Governor Tate Reeves signed HB 916 into law.
While the law officially goes into effect on July 1, 2025, the state registry, a list of legally sold vape products, will go into effect on October 1 of the same year. While enforcement provisions are not expected to begin until December 1. Mississippi’s registration law is similar to most PMTA catalog laws. Requires vape manufacturers to have received FDA market authorization to sell their products in the state, have submitted an authorization application through the FDA’s Premarket Application for Tobacco Products (PMTA) route and are currently in the FDA’s review process, or have received a Market Denial Order (MDO) from FDA. However, the denial order has been suspended by a federal court order or reversed by the FDA or the court.
Manufacturers must annually demonstrate to the Commissioner of Taxation that each product is compliant, and each application must be accompanied by written certification and a filing fee of $500 per product. Each change in the product (such as nicotine concentration, taste, coil resistance, etc.) must be applied separately and paid for.
Products not listed in the catalog may face a ban
From 1 October 2025, when the Tax Office publishes the register (catalog). Manufacturers have until 1 Sep 2025 to submit proof and payment for each product they want to legally sell in the state. Retailers may sell any remaining uncertified products within 60 days of the catalog’s release. After the 60-day grace period, any products not listed in the catalog will be considered illegal contraband and may be confiscated, confiscated, and destroyed at the seller’s expense.
The law sets out fines and other penalties for violators ranging from $500 per product per day to $1,500 per product per day.
Like other PMTA registration laws. Mississippi’s law was crafted and pushed in the state legislature by tobacco industry lobbyists on behalf of Altria or R.J. Reynolds.
PMTA registration bills have been considered in more than 20 state legislatures this year, with bills in Arkansas. Georgia and South Carolina have passed one chamber and making progress in another.
In addition to Mississippi’s new law, 10 states have previously passed PMTA registration laws. The earliest registration law was passed in Oklahoma in 2021 (but not implemented until 2023). In 2024, a large number of tobacco lobbyists began finding legislative partners to introduce bills in more than two dozen states. In 2024, six states passed registration laws.
To date, PMTA registrations are fully operational in five states: Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. North Carolina’s law will go into effect on May 1, and Virginia and Wisconsin’s rules will become operational on July 1. Registration laws in Iowa and Utah, scheduled to take effect this year, have been held up by court battles.
