The U.S. Postal Service has begun a crackdown on unlicensed vape products, refusing to carry shipments for distributors found to be in violation of federal and local rules, Reuters reported. The effort has involved joint cooperation between the postal service and local law enforcement. 

To be legally sold in the United States, vape products must have received explicit approval from the Food and Drug Administration. To date, only 39 vape or e-cigarette products have received such approval, per Reuters. 

This has not stopped unauthorized vape products, largely originating in China, from flooding the U.S. market, where vapes accounted for $8.05 billion in sales in 2024, according to Reuters. 

Unauthorized vapes pose a greater risk to public health, as they have not been screened for safety or to ensure that the products contain the ingredients that they claim to. 

Even approved vape products, such as e-cigarettes, pose significant health risks. 

According to the CDC, "No tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, are safe." 

E-cigarettes and other vapes contain nicotine, which can be especially dangerous for pregnant women, their fetuses, and young people.

Further, the aerosol from vape products "can also contain harmful and potentially harmful substances," said the CDC. "These include cancer-causing chemicals and tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into lungs."

Beyond the individual health risks, e-cigarettes and other vape products cause environmental harm, which can also impact public health. 

A meta-analysis published in 2023 reviewed the available scientific literature to gauge the scope and scale of environmental and public health risks presented by e-cigarettes. 

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The issues identified in this review were numerous, including "impacts on air quality, water, land use, and animals, water and energy consumption" as well as "increased pollution and emissions due to greater e-cigarette production."

Discarded e-cigarettes, which often contain lithium-ion batteries, and the single-use packaging in which they are delivered to consumers also produce massive amounts of dangerous waste.

While the USPS crackdown on illicit vapes potentially will help both public health and the environment, the move also benefits Big Tobacco, which for years has lobbied against e-cigarettes and other vape products. These smoking alternatives have made a sizable dent in Big Tobacco's sales in recent years, according to Reuters.  

In a letter to New York-based Demand Vape, the USPS wrote, "Your local Buffalo BME Office will not accept any packages from … Demand Vape that contain ENDS [electronic nicotine delivery system] products," according to an exclusive report by Reuters. 

For its part, Demand Vape argued that it has been forced to operate in a "regulatory grey zone" and that the 39 currently approved e-cigarette products are nowhere near sufficient to meet U.S. consumer demand.

"We reject any characterization that paints Demand Vape as anything other than a transparent, lawful and reputable business," the company said in a statement, per Reuters. 

To reduce the health and environmental harms of e-cigarettes and other vape products, it is best to avoid using the products altogether, especially for youth, young adults, and pregnant women. If you are an adult and choose to partake, you can lower these risks by using only FDA-approved products and by properly disposing of both the vape and its packaging after use.  

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