To the editor:
As the next presidential election approaches, voters are increasingly demanding action to combat the sale of illegal disposable vapes, particularly those flooding our schools and neighborhoods from unregulated manufacturers in China.
The FDA has established guidelines and regulations aimed at curbing the distribution of vaping products, but enforcement has been tepid at best. Parents, teachers, and communities are crying out for help, yet the federal government’s response has been nothing short of inadequate.
Illegal disposable vapes have become the primary driver of youth vaping, a trend that is causing alarm across the nation. The FDA’s interagency task force, designed to address this very crisis, has not engaged fully with state law enforcement agencies. This lack of collaboration has left states to fend for themselves, creating a patchwork of regulations and enforcement that fails to address the scale of the problem. Some states have begun developing product directories to track and ban illegal products, but without robust federal oversight, these efforts are largely ineffective.
The next president must prioritize this issue, cutting through the bureaucratic inertia that has plagued the FDA. It’s imperative that they demand transparency from the FDA regarding the delays in enforcement actions. Why is there a lack of urgency in addressing the youth vaping epidemic? What are the roadblocks preventing effective action? The federal government cannot sit idly by while local communities suffer the consequences of an unregulated market.
In this election, voters must be clear: we will not tolerate complacency when it comes to the health and safety of our youth. The battle against illegal disposable vapes cannot be left to local governments alone. It requires a unified, aggressive response from the federal level, utilizing all available resources to dismantle these illegal operations.
As citizens, we must demand that our future leaders take this issue seriously. The time for half-measures and excuses is over. If the next president takes the issue of illegal
disposable vapes seriously, we may finally see the kind of change that can protect our children from this growing threat.
James Lord
Island Falls
