Former ATF Assistant Director Sounds Off on Chinese Vapes, Lack of Concern

The Floridian spoke to the former Assistant Director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) – Rich Marianos – concerning the rise of vape devices in American communities, especially vapes from China.

These devices have infiltrated high schools and college campuses while appearing in the United States illegally from Asia. Marianos discussed this notion with us over the weekend.

“In the last five years, there’s been an epidemic in the United States where there’s been about a 2,000% increase in the use of these disposable vapes, and specifically the ones that are coming from China,” Marianos began. “There’s quite a difference between these and the ones that are marketed by industry … the disposable vapes are strictly designed for tobacco harm reduction, to get people away from combustible cigarettes.”

However, the problem with Chinese vapes is that they are branded and marketed for children, raking in huge amounts of money for improper companies.

“The ones that are coming from China, which is becoming a huge, huge market, are designed for youth, children, fruity flavors, that have and continue to attract kids … when they realized they could market these to kids, and they’re doing it all over the internet, China, specifically Chinese organized crime in the Xinjin Valley, decided that they could make a ton of money, to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars right now on the backs of our kids.”

In the state of Florida, these products have dominated the disposable vape market. Chinese-owned companies such as Elf Bar, Fume, and HQD accounted for over 85% ($355 million combined) of the market ($410 million) in 2023. Also, Florida has seen vape sales increase nine times compared to states such as New York.

None of these brands are FDA-approved.

Marianos continued by sharing his frustration with the lack of concern from society as a whole surrounding these illicit vapes.

“One thing that frustrates me the most is, politically, you hear both sides very charged with ‘China is our number one national security problem.’ Well, if we know that they’re making hundreds of billions of dollars on the backs of our greatest resources – which are young adults, our children, why isn’t something being done about it? Why can’t we stop this flow? The kids are getting sick. We don’t know what’s inside [the vapes],” said Marianos.

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed a bill attempting to crack down on these vapes in late April.