Brady Bates, the founder of Fifty Bar, a disposable e-cigarette company, has been promoting his brand as a way to “Make Vaping American Again” by manufacturing their products in the USA. However, despite this claim, the company’s vapes are actually manufactured in Shenzhen, China, where nearly all of the flavored disposable vapes on the US market are produced. This industry has become a $2.4 billion illicit market that has been growing rapidly in America.
After purchasing the disposable vapes from Chinese wholesalers, Fifty Bar fills them with liquid flavors in California before packaging and shipping them out for sale. However, in September, the FDA issued a warning to the company for selling these disposable flavored vapes without proper authorization. Bates has also been lobbying against legislation in various states that would regulate his company and prevent it from selling the Chinese-made disposable vapes.
Fifty Bar has marketed their e-cigs to US consumers by aligning themselves with President Trump’s efforts to bring manufacturing back to the States from overseas. Bates has been actively lobbying in states to oppose bills that would affect his company’s ability to sell the Chinese-made products. He acknowledged that his products were made in China during a discussion with Arizona state legislators and expressed concerns about the impact of these bills on his business.
Federal and state prosecutors in New York have targeted vape distributors for selling illicit Chinese products to minors, with the leading Chinese distributors being owned by billionaire Zhang Shengwei. A Massachusetts government task force reported a significant increase in illicit Chinese e-cig seizures and a loss of nearly $240 million in tax revenue since 2018. Despite these challenges, President Trump has promised to “save vaping again” on his 2024 campaign trail.
In a Truth Social post, Trump mentioned how he had saved flavored vaping in 2019 and raised the age to 21 to prevent access by minors. He criticized Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden for wanting to ban vaping products entirely, which he believes would harm small businesses across the country. Trump’s pick to lead the FDA, Dr. Marty Makary, expressed concerns about the flood of unlawful Chinese vapes in US markets during his Senate confirmation hearing. The FDA and Fifty Bar have not provided comment on these issues, indicating the ongoing challenges in the vaping industry related to Chinese manufacturing and illicit products.
