U.S. Customs Seizes 18 Million Illicit E-Cigarettes as 86% of Vape Market Lacks FDA Authorization
Updated
Updated · Psychology Today · Jul 14
U.S. Customs Seizes 18 Million Illicit E-Cigarettes as 86% of Vape Market Lacks FDA Authorization
2 articles · Updated · Psychology Today · Jul 14
Summary
Five major U.S. Customs seizures in the first half of 2026 intercepted about 18 million illicit e-cigarettes, yet unauthorized products still dominate store shelves.
Up to 86% of U.S. e-cigarette sales are estimated to be illicit because FDA approvals are scarce—just 39 of more than 6,000 distinct products are authorized—and reviews can take two years or longer.
Smugglers blunt enforcement by routing shipments from China through countries such as Vietnam or Indonesia, mislabeling cargo, and absorbing losses because disposable vapes are cheap to make.
Enforcement is also fragmented across at least 154 federal and state entities after ATF pulled back from domestic tobacco policing, while courts split over state bans and pending-application products.
For addiction-treatment providers, that patchwork means so-called harm-reduction vapes often lack basic safety oversight, complicating whether they can be recommended in recovery programs.