Arkansas Legislators Propose Bill to Ban Disposable Vapes
Arkansas legislators Rep. Matt Duffield (R, 53) and Sen. Missy Irvin (R, 24) are drafting a bill to ban single-use disposable vapes. The proposal comes after various witnesses reported inconsistencies with such disposable vapes, particularly those manufactured in China. Duffield and Irvin plan to release the draft and discuss the findings of tests performed on disposable vapes on February 27.
A group of small business vape shops in Arkansas purchased and tested several top brands of vapes, focusing on products manufactured in China. The first round of testing, conducted on three leading Chinese-made vape brands, showed that all vapes contained lead and ethanol and were improperly labeled with twice the actual nicotine content.
A secondary test on an additional 19 Chinese-made products, focusing on heavy metals and solvents, yielded alarming results. All products contained a combination of ethanol, lead, and arsenic. Eighteen of the 19 tested products contained ethanol, while two had lead levels well above Arkansas Medical Marijuana standards. All products contained ethanol levels 17 times the amount considered safe.
The spokesperson also noted that while the open-system vaping industry has been under attack for years, disposable products have been freely sold in gas stations and convenience stores with virtually no oversight. Chinese disposable vapes advertise having 50mg of nicotine per ml, which is 17 times the average nicotine level sold in vape shops (3 mg/ml).
Contact with school districts revealed that 100% of vapes confiscated in schools were disposable vapes. Although not outwardly marketed to children, newer vapes with visual displays even come with video games bundled into the device.
Open-system products sold by licensed retailers in Arkansas and FDA-approved products made by the tobacco industry are regulated and manufactured in a safe manner for consumer protection. While there are still numerous health risks associated with nicotine use, none of the harmful chemicals found in Chinese-made vapes are present in FDA-approved vapes. All products manufactured in Arkansas are subject to inspection and testing.
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- Arkansas Legislators Propose Bill to Ban Disposable Vapes - February 26, 2025
