Rep. Jon Echols - Guest columnist
Flavored, disposable vapes are one of the leading threats to the health of our young people who are being inundated with access to illegal products coming out of China. In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey — released Nov. 2 — disposable vape usage among middle and high school students increased.
The Food and Drug Administration claims to be cracking down on these illegal products, but we are continuing to see a surge among minors. The CDC survey found that 60.7% of youths reported using disposable e-cigarettes — the highest rate since the CDC started measuring youth usage of disposable e-cigarettes.
Fortunately, my colleagues in the state Legislature joined me in taking aggressive action with the passage of House Bill 2511 to protect our kids from black market disposable vape products through the creation of a new registry list that launched on Oct. 1.
I’m proud that Oklahoma is one of the first in the country to implement such a registry. Now, Oklahoma parents, educators, community members and law enforcement collectively are empowered to take a stand and help stop the sale and distribution of illegal disposable vape products.
This local enforcement tool was necessary because a loophole in FDA regulations allowed Chinese manufacturers to overwhelm the U.S. market with thousands of disposable vape products that target our youth with kid-friendly flavors and e-cigarette devices masked as highlighters or soda bottles. Yet, due to the sheer number of new illegal, flavored disposable vape products hitting the market every day, Chinese manufacturers have been able to overwhelm the federal government’s enforcement capabilities.
Due to the creation of a public list of products that are legally allowed to be sold per FDA guidance, local law enforcement agencies are empowered to investigate and prosecute retailers that distribute and sell illegal vape products. Any parent, educator or community member who suspects a local retailer is selling illegal vape products now can report it to local law enforcement to initiate an investigation and guarantee the illegal products are removed from the shelves.
The dangers of illegal disposable vapes are real. Because many of them are not regulated or tested, the ingredients and quality is unknown. Take for example the Chinese-manufactured Elf Bar, which ranked in The New York Times’ top slot for usage among minors. It also has been the most frequently named product in calls to U.S. poison centers regarding minors suffering from nicotine poisoning, according to the FDA and CDC.
Oklahoma’s vape registry is a powerful and much-needed tool, but it is only a first step toward ridding our state of these illegal, flavored disposable vape products. It is incumbent upon all of us — especially parents and educators ― to remain vigilant and use the registry to report any retailer that is allowing these dangerous products to get into the hands of our youth. Let’s put the vape registry to work to secure a safer and healthier future for our children and our state.
Rep. Jon Echols is majority floor leader for the Oklahoma State Legislature.