Poll: Americans Fed Up With Illegal Chinese Vapes Flooding the Country, Many Funneled Through Florida

Why are dangerous illegal vape products from China still making their way onto American retail shelves, especially when they’re not even legal in the country where they’re made? 

That’s the question Floridians, and Americans alike, are asking. And to stop it, we need more federal help. 

Illegal vapes have been pouring into Florida from China for years. These unregulated, flavored products are banned in China, yet they’re flooding our state, endangering our kids, families, and communities. A new poll by President Donald Trump’s campaign pollster, Tony Fabrizio, shows that more than 80% of swing-district voters support seizing illegal Chinese vapes, along with cracking down on smoke shops that sell illegal vapes and sell to minors. 

The poll underscores the severity of this problem among Americans, with voters across the country agreeing that illegal vapes from China put kids and communities at risk. Now, more than ever, Americans want firm policies to keep these dangerous, unregulated products off shelves.

In 2024, at least $363 million worth of illegal vapes were sold here, ranking Florida No. 1 in illegal vape sales. This year, we’re still the top destination for illegal vapes dumped by China.

Illegal Chinese Vapes Pose a Danger to Our Children

These products target kids and have been found disguised as school supplies. They’re easy to mistake for legal products, but are highly illegal and very dangerous, and continue to slip into American stores, disguised as legitimate products.

The Florida Retail Federation works with retailers——with the support of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier——to warn the public about the danger of these unregulated imports. But Chinese manufacturers work just as hard to make their illegal products look legal, so retailers and consumers cannot tell the difference from a legal product and an illegal product. 

Some leaders are starting to take action and the citizens surveyed in this recent poll would be glad to see it. The recent announcement that the United States will reduce certain tariffs on China in exchange for its efforts to stop fentanyl trafficking is a step in the right direction. As part of cracking down on fentanyl from China, we also have to crack down on the illegal vapes that can carry this dangerous drug into our communities.

Fentanyl is already the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States and has been found in illegal Chinese vapes, as have other dangerous chemicals. What is disguised as a legal vape product could actually be deadly. A child could pick up one of these vapes unaware of what’s inside. That’s what makes this problem so dangerous and why stopping it before it reaches our shelves is so important.

It’s time to stop the flow of illegal vapes from China once and for all. These products are banned where they’re made, yet they’re ending up on American shelves and in the hands of kids. We need more federal action to stop illegal vapes from landing in Florida and other states—many coming off cargo ships from overseas. The safety of our families, businesses, and communities depends on it. 

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