China-backed lobbyists are hoping to kill Arizona's Senate Bill 1272, which would create a directory of nicotine vapor products to counter the flood of illegal Chinese vapes on the market.
In February, the Arizona Senate introduced SB 1272, which passed out of the Public Safety Committee by a 5-2 vote, indicating strong bipartisan support. The bill would create a directory for nicotine sellers to discern the legality of products, similar to House Bill 1007 in Florida, which was signed into law last April.
However, a concerted effort by China-backed lobbyists kept the bill from reaching the Arizona Senate floor.
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As a result, State Representative Teresa Martinez (R-16) introduced a bill to the Arizona House of Representatives, allowing SB 1272 to be heard again. The bill passed the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee by a 5-1 vote, maintaining bipartisan support.
The lobbyists, such as the American Vapor Manufacturers, are funded by Mi-One Brands, based in Shenzhen, China, which also manufactures the popular Elf Bar vape products.
Distributors, such as Mi-One Brands and other Shenzhen-based companies, have been known to pressure smoke shops into promoting their products and instructing them to misrepresent their legality.
One example is Fifty Bar founder Brady Bates, who was among the lobbyists speaking in February during the SB 1272 hearings. Bates claimed that Fifty Bar is manufactured in the United States, even selling promotional hats modeled after Donald Trump's red "Make American Great Again" hat, modified to say "Make Vaping American Again."
However, vape culture blog Vape Juice determined that Fifty Bar, like Elf Bar, Lost Mary, and Geekvape, is manufactured in Shenzhen.
Former Deputy Director and COO of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Edgar Domenech, spoke with our sister site, The Floridian, recently, telling us of the danger these illegal Chinese vapes pose and the necessity of the directory bills in Florida and Arizona.
"They talk about having a directory. Giving some local state resources to start targeting some of these products and trying to make the distinctions between which ones are legal and which ones are not. I think that's a great first step," Domenech told us.
