New York governor Kathy Hochul is renewing efforts to stamp out illegal flavored vapes.
As the New York Post reported, Hochul plans to introduce a registry to identify legal products. The goal is to help law enforcement determine which ones have FDA approval. The registry is a tool used in several other states.
As it stands, it's a safe bet that most vapes in the market are actually banned. Hochul guessed the number of flavored vape products represents as much as 99% of the market, despite New York's 2019 ban on them.
Flavored vapes attract additional scrutiny because critics argue they are specifically targeted to appeal to children and teens. They're also believed to be primarily manufactured in China, which can pose additional security and privacy threats.
"New York is the capital of illicit nicotine trafficking, and these illegal Chinese flavored vapes have made a bad situation even worse," commented former New York City sheriff Edgar Domenech to the Post.
Cracking down on flavored vapes can come with other positive ripple effects. Organized crime is often involved in distributing and selling the illegal products, as the City of Richmond found out in its own initiative, Operation Vaporize. New York City's own takedown of illegal cannabis shops also uncovered illegal flavored vape sales.
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Better regulation can also help protect children against a predatory product that could turn them into nicotine addicts. Since the products are unregulated, there are serious threats of exposure to even more dangerous metals and substances hiding in flavored vapes.
A particular category of products, smart vapes, gamifies the habit with a reward structure connected to more puffing. Kansas's attorney general, Kris Kobach, specifically brought up the concern of foreign actors using Bluetooth and wi-fi to access users' data for nefarious means.
There are also the environmental perils of vapes, which include toxic e-waste and plastics that are difficult to recycle or trash safely.
With all the unregulated and potentially dangerous products floating around, it makes sense that Hochul is making moves to stiffen enforcement and simplify things for cops. Domenech commended the move and said it will quickly translate to results.
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"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," he concluded.
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