Scott Shalley: Donald Trump admin can end the flow of illegal Chinese vapes

New regulations fail to attract vape shops.

The Florida Retail Federation (FRF) has long been focusing on one of the most significant issues facing not only the state of Florida but the country: The sale and use of illegal vapes by youths.

So far, the “remedies” to this problem have been few and far between, including both a failed Food and Drug Administration (FDA) taskforce and a failure to crack down on vendors selling these illegal vapes — mostly coming in from China.

But the incoming administration can change all of that.

The problem of illegal vapes in the U.S. is only getting worse. CNN recently reported that young people can easily buy vapes with little to no identification; even worse, these vapes are often illegal, completely unregulated, and dumped into the U.S. from China.

Vapes come with flavors specifically enticing for young kids, and it is impossible to know what is even put in these vapes to addict the younger generation.

Florida experiences the #1 rate of influx of these illegal products from China each year. The bottom line is simple: when there is no FDA regulation, it becomes easy for criminals to ship these products through Florida’s ports and impossible for federal authorities to stop it.

Florida should NOT be experiencing $335 million worth of unregulated and illegal vape products from China; the new Donald Trump administration has a chance to end it.

Those of us fighting this surge of illegal products at the state level desperately need this administration to crack down. The task force created by the FDA under President Joe Biden was a start but ultimately resulted in little to no regulation. As reported in an opinion piece in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, “Perhaps more shocking than the rise in usage is the fact that there is not even a coherent strategy in place to deal with this crisis.”

Earlier this year, a Senate hearing found that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has failed to fully engage with or provide resources to state law enforcement, who have been overwhelmed by the flood of illegal products from Chinese government-backed manufacturers.”

The new Trump-Vance administration has the opportunity to respond to this crisis correctly. If the new leaders of the FDA and the Department of Homeland Security can react swiftly with strong regulations and even port inspections, we can cut off the flow of illegal products from China at the knees. Retailers want to do right by their consumers, and we at FRF stand ready to work hand in hand with the new Congress and new leaders within the Trump-Vance administration to stamp out the flow of illegal vapes from China immediately.

___

Scott Shalley serves as president and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation (FRF).