Residents of the Sunshine State can breathe a little easier as state officials announce that the Florida Vape Task Force has gotten more vapes off the street than in any other previous operation.
“This record-breaking seizure sends a clear message: if you profit off addiction, deception, and dangerous substances, we will find you and shut you down,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier.
2,183 “contraband” vapes in total were seized from four counties, along with nitrous oxide canisters, including 263 illegal vapes in Clermont, 636 in Ocoee, 855 in Okaloosa County, and 423 in Milton.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson says the law is clear and that his agency is “committed to enforcing it.”
“These illegal products threaten public health, undermine legitimate businesses, and too often are designed to target children. We will continue working with our fellow law enforcement partners to remove these dangerous and unlawful products from store shelves and protect Florida families,” said the Trilby Republican and former Senate President.
Simpson’s agency removed thousands of illicit products from various stores, including 2,054 packages in Clermont and 6,181 in Ocoee.
Per a press release from Uthmeier’s office, the violations of law ran the gamut, “including failure to meet container and labeling requirements, lack of child-resistant packaging, unlawful advertising and marketing practices, and packaging, business names, logos, colors, or additives designed to appeal to children. Additional violations included references to illegal or unlawful substances, promotion of marijuana use, and the presence of controlled or prohibited substances such as 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), tianeptine, and hemp extract containing more than 0.3 percent total delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol on a wet-weight basis.”
“These joint task force operations demonstrate Florida’s unwavering commitment to protecting our communities—especially our children—from illegal and dangerous products,” said Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Melanie S. Griffin. “Working alongside the Office of the Attorney General, FDLE, FDACS, and our local law enforcement partners, DBPR is taking decisive action to hold bad actors accountable and to remove unlawful vapes, nitrous oxide products, and other prohibited substances from the marketplace. We will continue to use every enforcement tool available to ensure retailers follow the law and that Florida families are protected.”
