Tobacco companies and some states are challenging a federal court decision that struck down a law that would allow them to sell e-cigarette liquids that contain nicotine without restrictions on flavors and packaging.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Thursday issued a preliminary injunction to block the law.
The decision will be appealed.
It comes amid an uptick in e-cig sales, fueled by the popularity of e-cigs.
Some states have been pushing their own laws that require e-liquids to contain nicotine.
The plaintiffs argue that the law violates the U.N. treaty banning the sale of tobacco products containing tobacco.
The court decision, which is being closely watched, comes after a federal appeals court ruled last month that the tobacco companies are not entitled to enforce the law by suing the states for violations of the treaty.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration said it would not defend the federal ban.
“We’re not going to defend this court decision,” spokesman Jason Miller said at a news briefing.
E-cigarette companies say they are not trying to turn off consumers who want to quit smoking cigarettes, and that their devices can be used by people who want them to help them quit.
In addition to tobacco companies, some states have sought to limit the sales of e of cigarettes to children, to make it more difficult for young people to access them.
Some states have already begun banning e-vaporizers, which have been shown to have a higher rate of nicotine addiction and a higher likelihood of addiction among users.
In June, the U to New York City agreed to a plan with the state of Connecticut to allow e-liquid distributors to sell the devices to the public for use by e-smoking consumers.
But the measure also required a $1,000 fine and other restrictions, which the governor of the state said was too steep.
