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House committee advances bill to create state directory for vape products amid debate over impacts on retailers and youth access
Summary
Lawmakers gave House Bill 968 a positive recommendation to the Finance, Ways and Means Committee after extended debate about whether a state registry tied to the FDA pathway would curb illicit disposables and keep nicotine products away from children; vape shop owners testified the measure could close stores and push users to a black market.
NASHVILLE — The House Government Operations Committee voted 12-1 on March 10 to give House Bill 968 a positive recommendation to the Finance, Ways and Means Committee. Sponsor Representative Hawk said the bill "essentially sets up a directory for vape products" that would limit retail sales to products the Food and Drug Administration has either authorized or placed on a regulatory pathway, and would require universal age verification.
Committee members debated the bill for more than an hour, focusing on whether the measure would reduce the flow of unregulated disposable vapes into schools and whether it would inadvertently restrict products sold in independent vape shops. "House bill 968 attempts to stop the influx of illegal Chinese vape products that are addicting our kids and wreaking havoc on our schools," Hawk said during his opening remarks.
The bill's sponsor described the measure as a public-health tool intended to remove…
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