The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that, in 2023, almost nine out of ten students who smoke (89.4%) acknowledged that they vape. Flavored e-cigarettes have become more popular recently, especially among younger people. Some of these devices come from overseas. This is leading several states to legislate on these types of imports.
The latest state to move toward banning imported vapes is Florida. The state passed a bill to force sellers of these flavored e-cigarettes to remove them from stores if they do not follow a series of rules. It is unknown when Governor Ron DeSantis will sign the bill into law.
If approved by DeSantis, merchants will have a list prepared by the state attorney general with banned vapes that are imported from other countries, such as China, where a large part of these products come from.
Latest state to legislate on vapes
Florida joins the list of states - such as Vermont and Virginia, among others - that are moving towards banning vaping. Approximately half the states are regulating the use of these devices, focusing more on the origin and regulation of the devices.
There are other states that have already enacted a law to ban the sale and consumption of vapes with flavors other than tobacco and menthol. These states have also banned vapes that that did not receive authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There are currently six states. One of them is Utah, where Governor Spencer Cox signed a bill into law banning the sale of vapes that did not obtain the FDA’s marketing authorization. This will take effect on January 1, 2025.
An initiative to apply it throughout the country
At the federal level, there are legislators from both parties who are in favor of introducing a bill to ban the sale of these products or to apply stricter regulations, especially with vapes that are imported legally or illegally from China. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) are considering bringing related proposals to Congress.
"The FDA and the industry must do more to address the youth vaping epidemic and remove unauthorized vaping products from their shelves immediately," Durbin said, in statements reported by the Washington Examiner.
