As Spokane County Treasurer and your State Representative, I’ve spent years working on issues involving public safety, tax compliance, and government accountability. One thing I’ve learned is that when the government fails to enforce the rules, criminal enterprises are quick to fill the void.
That’s exactly what we’re seeing today with the explosion of illegal vaping products across our state and nation.
This is not a small problem, and it’s not getting better on its own. In fact, it’s becoming a growing challenge for Washington. As a border state with more than 425 miles of international border and major ports in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington sits at a key entry point for illicit products flowing into the United States. Criminal organizations know it, and they’re taking advantage of it.
What starts as a handful of questionable products on store shelves can quickly become a sophisticated underground market that undermines legitimate businesses, evades taxes, targets young people, and creates serious public safety concerns.
The reality is that nearly 90 percent of vapes sold today are illegal. That’s the result of years of regulatory failures that created a vacuum in the marketplace. Rather than being filled by responsible American companies, that vacuum has increasingly been filled by organized criminal networks operating out of China and elsewhere, using many of the same supply chains that move fentanyl, illegal firearms, and other contraband into our communities.
Thankfully, the federal government is finally beginning to take this issue seriously.
I am grateful to President Trump and his administration for recognizing the scope of this problem and taking meaningful steps to address it. The FDA’s updated enforcement strategy is a welcome change, focusing on the entire chain of bad actors, from foreign manufacturers and smugglers to the rogue retailers knowingly selling illegal products in our neighborhoods.
Recent federal operations have demonstrated just how large this problem has become. Millions of illegal vaping products have been seized, hundreds of arrests have been made, and Congress has allocated $200 million toward a multi-agency effort to disrupt these illicit supply chains.
Those are important steps, but federal action alone won’t solve this problem. Washington State also has a responsibility to step up.
One of the biggest challenges facing retailers, consumers, and law enforcement is the lack of clarity in the marketplace. Most consumers assume that if a product is sitting on a store shelf, it must be legal. I’ve talked to the convenience store owners, many who struggle to determine which products comply with the law and which do not. Criminal actors thrive in that confusion.
Adding to the challenge, manufacturers are now developing synthetic nicotine products specifically designed to evade existing regulations. Some are marketed under names like “nixodine” and openly promoted as legal alternatives that can be sold without the same restrictions or taxes that apply to traditional tobacco products. This is not innovation; it’s regulatory evasion.
Washington lawmakers and regulators cannot afford to wait until these products become the next major public health and public safety problem. We need laws and regulations that keep pace with the tactics criminal organizations are using to stay one step ahead.
Most importantly, we need to recognize that the real battle is being fought at the local level.
The day-to-day work of identifying illegal products, inspecting retailers, and shutting down bad actors doesn’t happen in Washington, D.C. It happens in Spokane. It happens in Seattle. It happens in the Tri-Cities and communities throughout our state.
Local law enforcement agencies, local health officials, and local governments are on the front lines of this challenge. They need the resources, training, and support necessary to do the job effectively.
A meaningful share of federal enforcement funding should be directed to state and local partners through accessible grant programs so communities have the tools they need to tackle this growing problem. Without local enforcement, even the strongest federal strategy will struggle to make a lasting impact.
The good news is that this is a solvable problem. We know where these products are coming from. We know how they are entering the country. We know where they are being sold.
What we need now is a coordinated effort between federal, state, and local partners. Strong enforcement. Clear rules. And the resources necessary to support the communities doing the work on the ground.
If we get that right, we can protect consumers, support legitimate businesses, strengthen public safety, and shut down the criminal networks that have profited from government inaction for far too long.
Mike Volz is the current Spokane County Treasurer and 6th District State Representative.