Officials issue sweeping ban on harmful products targeting young people — here's what's happening

A new law places major restrictions on how vape products can be sold and advertised in Arkansas, as the state tries to reduce the number of young people who take up the dangerous habit.

Starting Sept. 1, KNWA reported, disposable vapes with nicotine must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or they will be banned in Arkansas. If a store sells unapproved vape products, it could be fined or lose its permits. 

The new law, Act 590, also bans marketing and packaging any vape or tobacco product in a way that could appeal to children, such as using cartoon characters and names like "candy." Finally, it prohibits the use of tobacco or vapes at schools, childcare centers, or health care facilities.

Vapes have become the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1.2 million high school students and more than 400,000 middle school students used e-cigarettes in 2024.

Just like other tobacco products, vapes carry considerable health hazards, such as an increased risk of cancer. The majority of students who vape use disposable vapes, which pose even more problems.

Walk through almost any park, and there's a good chance you'll see these disposable vapes littered on the ground. They're made of many plastic components, adding to the trillions of pieces of plastic waste that pollute our planet, and a lithium battery, contributing to the growing problem of e-waste.

Those components also make disposable vapes more dangerous from a health standpoint. One study found that certain disposable vape brands have alarmingly high levels of metals such as lead, nickel, and antimony.

As of Act 590's passing, fewer than 40 vape products have FDA approval. Unauthorized vapes have become a big part of the multibillion-dollar e-cigarette business, and have led the U.S. Postal Service to crack down on shipping certain vapes.

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