FRUITY flavored throwaway vapes could be phased out as part of a major crackdown on the devices.
Lawmakers have vowed a stern crackdown on illegal flavored vapes and they estimate it could make up as much as 99% of the market.
Officials say they want to “crackdown” on the brightly coloured vapes that are flooding the New York market, and will waste no time in getting officers to confiscate any items they find.
Gov. Kathy Hochul made the stern warning, vowing to create a registry of legal products to aid enforcement officers in making sure the products are off the streets.
Despite being banned in New York already, Hochul estimates that as much as 99% of current vape products are flavored and still are being sold.
In her hopes of banning them for good, she said she has ordered the state Department of Taxation and Finance to create a ‘Vapor Products registry’ that will clearly lists the vapor products that are allowed to be legally sold.
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Those not on the list are outlawed to make it clearer for sellers, so there are “no excuses”.
The registry – which is already used in more than a dozen other states – will give law enforcement “the clarity they need” to quickly identify contraband, so they can quickly shut down criminal networks which may be operating.
The hope is that they will “protect kids while leveling the playing field for legitimate retailers” with the new steps, Hochul’s office said.
“These actions will minimize and prevent the illegal and dangerous sale of harmful vape products to New Yorkers,” Hochul said.
New York and the federal government first approved laws banning the sale of flavored e-cigarettes or vapes back in 2020.
Stats show that New York’s Sheriff’s Office and the NYPD, as part of their crackdown of illegal cannabis shops, have found that some of the illicit operators were also selling the banned flavored vapes, which raised the question about “what was being done to stop it”.
“Helping law enforcement seize illegal vape products can also help smoke out other criminal activity,” she added.
Law enforcement officials supported Hochul’s move.
“New York is the capital of illicit nicotine trafficking, and these illegal Chinese flavored vapes have made a bad situation even worse,” said former New York City Sheriff Edgar Domenech told the New York Post.
“Creating a clear vapor products registry gives law enforcement the information and transparency they need to quickly identify contraband, protect our children and shut down bad actors who are almost always involved in dangerous violent crime.”
The news comes as a quarter of all vape users said they fear they would take up smoking if they couldn’t vape.
New laws also came into effect at the start of the year which has already seen a lot of products pulled from the shelves in some states.
VAPE CRACKDOWN
The new law came into force in Nebraska which decides what vaping products can be sold by retailers.
The law, which came into force on January 1, impacts any retailer selling vape products but doesn’t solely apply to vape stores.
Products must be registered with the Nebraska Vape Registry if they are to be sold.
Items that haven’t been registered will not be sold.
The law regulating the types of vapes that can be sold was passed on April 2, 2024.
And, business owners have revealed the impact the new law has had on their stores, with them now facing heavy penalties if they are caught breaking the new law.
A shop could lose its license to sell vapes, as well as risking a fine up to $5,000.
Vape users will not be penalized if they purchased an unregistered product before January 1.
A similar law has come into force across Virginia.
Vapes must be registered on a statewide database if they want to be sold in stores.
