By Timothy S. Donahue

Top Takeaways:

• Indiana Senate lawmakers unanimously passed a bill banning the sale of vaping products made in foreign adversary nations, including China.
• The measure is sponsored by Sen. Ron Alting and now advances to the Indiana House of Representatives.
• The bill reflects growing state-level efforts to address supply-chain, enforcement, and youth access concerns tied to imported vaping products.

The Indiana Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Ron Alting that would prohibit the sale of vaping products manufactured in countries designated as foreign adversaries, with China specifically named as a key target.

The bill would prohibit the sale of most vaping products in Indiana, adding a country-of-origin restriction to the state’s tobacco and vapor regulatory framework, according to media reports. Supporters have framed the measure as a way to address enforcement challenges related to imported vaping products and to reduce the availability of devices they say fall outside effective regulatory oversight.

“I do want to make sure we have safe products in there that they’re smoking,” Alting said. “China is who I am focusing on, because they have the most products of any right now in our vape shops.”

With Senate passage secured by a unanimous vote, the proposal now moves to the Indiana House of Representatives for consideration.

Indiana’s action comes as several states explore tighter controls on vaping products through registries, product bans, and supply-chain restrictions, often citing gaps in federal enforcement and concerns about illicit or noncompliant products entering the U.S. market.

“The product is a bad product. It should not be in our vape shops,” Alting said. “China doesn’t even sell that product in their own country, but they ship it to America, and we have it in our vape shops.”

Kansas could be next. Kansas lawmakers are also considering a proposal to combat an illegal and unregulated flow of Chinese-made vaping products into the United States.

On Tuesday, the Kansas Senate’s Federal and State Affairs Committee took up a bill imposing new licensing requirements on electronic cigarette manufacturers that sell products in Kansas, either directly or through intermediaries.

No timeline has yet been announced for House action on the bill in Indiana.