Illicit Chinese vape use virtual pets and luxury fashion to lure American kids
- May 15, 2025
Matthew Foldi, Washington Reporter
The war against illegal nicotine vapes is being waged in America, and one critical battlefield is our children.
Waves of illegally manufactured Chinese e-cigarettes have invaded U.S. markets with products specifically engineered to attract young users and get them hooked. These products are using new ways to attract kids to their chemicals, including gimmicks designed to elicit a toy store reaction to vaping with vape-fueled Tamagotchis and vape holsters that look like luxury handbags. This may seem like a great marketing scheme for China, but this is pure manipulation that is happening right under the FDA’s nose, which received little to no action from the Biden administration.
Michael Chamberlain, director of Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT), noted there is “nothing new under the sun” with these tactics from China.
“Baseball cards were once a tool for selling cigarettes, and then bubble gum,” Chamberlain said. “It only makes sense that if the FDA neglects to approve applications for products from legitimate American manufacturers, while looking the other way as illegal vapes flood the U.S. market, unscrupulous Chinese manufacturers will find a way to make them attractive and ‘sticky’ to kids. This is on the FDA and the [Center for Tobacco Products (CTP)]. As reported first in the Washington Reporter, PPT’s analysis of FDA user fee spending revealed hundreds of millions going to some questionable activities. Far better that it be used to get potentially dangerous illegal Chinese products off the shelves and out of the reach of kids.”