kentucky
Kentucky’s new vape law, set to kick in for 2025, isn’t just about curbing youth vaping it’s about reshaping who gets to play ball in the cannabis market. The law requires that all vape products be FDA-approved or at least under FDA review. Sounds simple enough until you realize the FDA has only approved a few tobacco-based products, like Vuse and NJOY. And guess who owns those? Big Tobacco. They’re not just smoking the competition they’re buying it outright.
One of the big players here is Japan Tobacco International (JTI)the parent company behind the FDA-approved Logic Pro and Logic Power vape devices. JTI has long been a heavyweight in the global tobacco market, and its presence in the FDA-approved vaping space shows just how far international companies are willing to go to control their market. These global giants aren’t just watching from the sidelines they’re probably setting up shop and waiting for the cannabis door to fully open.
This move might sound like it’s about public health, but it’s really about making sure the big players stay big. Tobacco companies have already dipped their toes in the cannabis pool with massive investments. Altria (Marlboro’s parent company) threw billions at Cronos Group, Imperial Brands has Auxly under its wing, and now we’ve got Japan Tobacco positioning itself for a slice of the action after dipping its toe in since 2019. They’ve got the cash, the connections, and now, thanks to the vape law, the rules tilted in their favor.
So where does that leave Kentucky’s cannabis market? If these vape regulations spill over into cannabis, it could push small producers and medical cannabis operators into a regulatory nightmare while opening the door for Big Tobacco to stroll in like it’s a Sunday picnic. It’s not about what’s safe; it’s about who can afford the paperwork.
For patients looking forward to Kentucky’s medical cannabis program, this could mean fewer options and higher prices if the little guys can’t compete. And for the industry? Well, let’s just say Big Tobacco has never played fair they come to own the game. Wonder how long it’ll take for someone to approve Juul for FDA and cannabis wouldn’t that be convenient?
Kentucky hasn’t even turned the lights on for medical cannabis yet, and the chessboard is already being set. Looks like the pawns better watch out for the kings. But hey, it’s not like tobacco rules or Big Tobacco money would ever roll into cannabis or their regulation, right?