Americans love to gripe about ridiculous-sounding regulations. We scoff at state rules that bar kids from running lemonade stands without proper permits and federal code that makes it a crime to sell earplugs when their noise-reduction rating isn’t written in a particular font (Helvetica Medium, for the record). There is even a popular twitter account, @CrimeADay, that churns out mentions of absurd-sounding regulations on a daily basis.

Certainly, not all laws are equally enforced, nor do they affect us all in the same ways. Yet once a rule is on the books it can have real consequences for individuals, businesses and communities—as can the delay or lack of clear requirements. Scientific American has looked into a suite of health-related federal regulations and guidance actions—including some that could affect tobacco use and food safety—that are likely to advance or stall out in 2018.