In 2025, the fight to protect vaping as a harm reduction tool is intensifying across the United States. Lawmakers in multiple states are proposing flavor bans, excessive taxes, and restrictive regulations that threaten adult access to safer nicotine alternatives. These policies, while often framed as efforts to curb youth vaping, disproportionately harm adults who rely on vapor products to quit smoking.

O Yale University study found that flavor bans lead to increased cigarette smoking among adults and youth, undermining public health efforts to reduce smoking rates. Researchers concluded that “adults who used flavored e-cigarettes were more likely to quit smoking than those who used tobacco-flavored products,” highlighting the crucial role of flavors in harm reduction.

Here’s a look at some of the most alarming state-level legislative attacks on vaping and why they should concern anyone who supports harm reduction and consumer choice.

Statewide Efforts to Restrict or Ban Vaping

1. Flavor Bans – Targeting Adult Ex-Smokers

Flavored vapor products play a key role in helping smokers’ transition away from combustible cigarettes. Yet, several states are pushing for outright bans on flavors, despite research showing that flavor variety increases quit rates among smokers.

• Hawaii (HB 1116 & SB 1435) – Seeks to prohibit the sale of all flavored tobacco and vapor products, even those used primarily by adults.
• Oregon (SB 702) – Proposes a full-scale flavor ban, which would force adult vapers to either return to smoking or turn to unregulated sources.

These bills fail to recognize that flavors are not just about appeal—they are a critical tool for reducing cigarette relapse. Removing them protects Big Tobacco while punishing former smokers who made the switch to a less harmful alternative.

2. Vapor Product Taxes – Making Harm Reduction Less Affordable

Several states are considering massive tax increases on vapor products, making them less affordable than cigarettes—a move that runs completely counter to public health goals.

• Nebraska (LB 712) – Proposes a 40% wholesale tax on vapor products, making them significantly more expensive for adults looking to quit smoking.
• New Mexico (SB 20) – Seeks to raise taxes on tobacco and vapor products, reallocating funds toward nicotine use prevention programs.

O study from the University of Georgia found that higher taxes on vapor products discourage smokers from switching, leading to higher cigarette consumption and poorer health outcomes. Taxing harm reduction tools like vaping only benefits cigarette sales, which remain widely available.

3. PMTA Registries & Overregulation – A Backdoor Ban

Some states are proposing PMTA registry requirements, which would limit the sale of vapor products to only those that have received full FDA marketing approval—a nearly impossible hurdle for most small and independent vape manufacturers.

• Washington (HB 1534) – Introduces a PMTA registry system, which could effectively ban most vaping products by limiting sales to FDA-authorized items (of which there are very few).
• Missouri (HB 276) – Requires manufacturers to have received a marketing granted order from the FDA or certify that their product was on the market before August 8, 2016, and has a pending PMTA—severely restricting product availability.

These bills are not about consumer safety; they are thinly veiled attempts to remove most vapor products from the market, forcing vapers back to combustible cigarettes or unreliable black-market alternatives.

Who Wins from These Laws?

It’s certainly not adult smokers looking to quit. Instead, these policies benefit:
✅ Big Tobacco, which will continue selling deadly combustible cigarettes while safer alternatives are taxed or banned.
✅ Illicit Market Sellers, as consumers seek unregulated and potentially dangerous products.
✅ State Governments, which collect billions in cigarette tax revenue and often have financial incentives to keep people smoking.

What Can You Do?

Vapers and harm reduction advocates must take action before it’s too late. Here’s how:

• Contact Your State Representatives – Let them know that you oppose bans and taxes on vaping.
• Share Your Story – Personal testimony about how vaping helped you quit smoking can make a difference.
• Stay Informed – Follow proposed legislation in your state and support organizations fighting for vaping rights.

The war on vaping is being fought at the state level, și adult access to harm reduction is at stake. Legislators must stop pushing prohibitionist policies that punish smokers trying to quit and start supporting science-based approaches to nicotine regulation.

If we don’t act now, the future of vaping—and the millions of people who rely on it—will be at serious risk.