Today is the effective date of Louisiana's new e-cigarette law, and any e-cigarette products that are not authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration must be removed from store shelves in Louisiana.

Act No. 414 also increased taxes on electronic cigarette products from October 1st. Starting today, only electronic cigarettes approved by the FDA and alternative nicotine products registered with the Louisiana Alcohol and Tobacco Control Agency (ATC) will be allowed for sale in the state.

For products considered by ATC, each product requires a $100 application fee and FDA authorization. The list of approved products will be released today. It is expected that this will be a brief list.

So far, the FDA has only authorized 23 tobacco flavored e-cigarettes products and devices, which are currently the only e-cigarettes that can be legally sold or distributed in the United States. Many of these products are outdated and all belong to major tobacco companies.