Cigarettes Coverage

You now have to be 21 to buy cigarettes or vaping products
A change occurred this month to the federal law governing how old customers must be to purchase cigarettes or vaping products.

Federal law adds age requirement to purchase of cigarettes, vaping products
A new federal law has prohibited the sale of e-cigarettes and nicotine cigarettes to people under the age of 21. But not many people know about it.

Report: 1 in 4 teens used tobacco product in past 30 days
Whether it's smoked, vaped or chewed, an alarming number of young people say they're using tobacco products according to the latest National Youth Tobacco Survey released Thursday by the CDC.

Harnett detention officer fired, charged with selling cigarettes to inmates
A former Harnett County Sheriff's Office employee was charged Tuesday with selling cigarettes to inmates in the county jail, authorities said.

Feds: Fayetteville wholesaler at center of cigarette smuggling operation
More than two dozen people were arrested last week in connection with a $12 million cigarette smuggling operation based in Fayetteville, authorities said Monday.

Authorities bust $12M cigarette smuggling operation based in Fayetteville
More than two dozen people were arrested last week in connection with a $12 million cigarette smuggling operation based in Fayetteville, authorities said Monday.

Multi-state money laundering, cigarette trafficking investigation based in NC
Officials share details on the indictment and arrests of multiple defendants in one of the largest multi-state organizations engaged in cigarette trafficking and money laundering on the East Coast. The operation was based in Cumberland County.

Woman picks up 1M cigarette butts and counting
A retired Auburn, California woman spends her days giving back to her community by cleaning up hundreds of thousands of discarded cigarette butts around town.

FDA announces crackdown on menthol, flavored e-cigarettes
The Food and Drug Administration announced it will ban menthol in cigarettes and strictly limit sales of flavored e-cigarettes to teens.

Cutting nicotine in cigarettes pits smokers' lives against tobacco farmers' livelihoods
In addition to the tariffs and ongoing international trade war, North Carolina tobacco farmers face a new hurdle to selling their crop: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is pushing to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes to non-addictive levels to help curb smoking.

NC farmers fear cutting nicotine will make it harder to export US tobacco
In addition to the tariffs and ongoing international trade war, North Carolina tobacco farmers face a new hurdle to selling their crop: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is pushing to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes to non-addictive levels to help curb smoking.

Bill would require child-proof caps on e-cigarette liquid
A bill that cleared the Senate Health Care Committee Tuesday would require manufactures to put child-proof caps on containers of liquid used to refill e-cigarettes.

Reynolds gave $50,000 to House GOP group
R.J. Reynolds parent says it gave thousands to a nonprofit affiliated with House lawmakers months after the legislature created a low tax rate for vapor cigarettes.

McCrory blasts French plain-packaging rules
Gov. Pat McCrory has written to the French ambassador to the United States objecting to rules that would strip cigarettes in France of branding.

Jails could sell e-cigarettes to inmates
A bill awaiting Gov. Pat McCrory's signature would allow county jails across North Carolina to sell electronic cigarettes to inmates, even though most jails don't allow tobacco use.

House tentatively OKs tax changes, including e-cig levy
The House on Tuesday gave key approval to a package of tax changes, despite impassioned pleas to consider a proposed excise tax on e-cigarettes separately and to give cities relief from a plan to cap the privilege license taxes they charge businesses.

Lawmakers back tax on e-cigarettes
North Carolina lawmakers are backing a proposal to add an excise tax to the liquid used in vapor, or electronic, cigarettes.

New regulatory reform bill covers 'fracking,' smoking rules, more
A new version of House Bill 74, which contains dozens of regulatory reform issues, covers topics ranging from natural gas drilling to how covered an "outdoor" smoking area may be.

Crossover casualties
House and Senate lawmakers passed nearly 200 bills this crossover week. But hundreds more didn't make the deadline.