Atlanta – September 18, 2026 -- E-cigarette directory laws in Alabama, Oklahoma and Louisiana produced no sustained reduction in flavored e-cigarette sales, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open by researchers from the CDC Foundation. The research, using retail scanner data from January 2021 through April 2025, marks the first rigorous evaluation of how these state registries affect nicotine sales and product availability.
Alabama and Oklahoma directories showed no measurable effect on sales
Researchers found no significant change in per-capita nicotine sales or product availability in Alabama or Oklahoma after directory implementation, using comparison states without such laws as controls.
Louisiana sales rebounded within eight months and exceeded pre-directory levels
In Louisiana, sales and product availability initially declined following publication of the state directory. However, sales recovered within eight months and ultimately surpassed pre-policy levels, even as the number of distinct products available remained lower than before implementation. Menthol prefilled cartridges and flavored disposables not covered by Louisiana's directory drove the sales resurgence.
More than half of e-cigarette nicotine sales came from unlisted products by April 2025
Across all three states, over 50% of per-capita e-cigarette nicotine sales by April 2025 came from products absent from the state directories, despite laws requiring such listings to restrict unauthorized sales.
FDA has authorized only 45 e-cigarette products against thousands sold unauthorized
As of August 2026, the FDA has authorized 45 e-cigarette products, most tobacco- or menthol-flavored, while the U.S. market remains dominated by thousands of unauthorized flavored products. Seventeen states have now enacted directory laws, though these registries typically include numerous products lacking FDA marketing authorization.
"These findings suggest e-cigarette directory laws as currently implemented are not sufficient to achieve sustained reductions in sales of flavored e-cigarettes,