Senator Tom Cotton introduced legislation on April 16 to address the importation of illicit Chinese vapes, aiming to protect Arkansas youth by increasing penalties for companies importing these products. The Eliminating Nefarious Distribution of Smuggled Chinese Vapes Act (ENDS Chinese Vapes Act) proposes escalated civil penalties for those who import or attempt to import illegal vapes into the United States.
According to Senator Cotton, “Dangerous, illegal Chinese vapes threaten the health of our children. My bill would increase the penalty on companies that enable Communist China to sell these dangerous devices in American markets.”
The ENDS Chinese Vapes Act outlines a penalty structure starting at $500 per vape unit for violations involving ordinary negligence, $1,000 per unit for gross negligence, and $5,000 per unit for fraud or knowing mislabeling. Penalties double if shipments involve transshipment, false country-of-origin declarations, or other evasion tactics and triple for repeat offenders within three years. The combined penalty is capped at 1,000 percent of the shipment’s estimated retail value in the United States.
In 2025, Senator Cotton wrote a letter to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary expressing concern about the distribution of illicit Chinese nicotine products. Cotton’s office assisted Arkansans with casework involving federal agencies, visas, passports and military honors, according to the official website. He served as an Infantry Officer in the United States Army and chaired the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence according to the official website. Cotton also served on both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources as reported by his official website.
Cotton grew up on a family cattle farm in Yell County and attended Dardanelle High School before earning degrees from Harvard University and Harvard Law School according to his official website.
Further details about this legislation can be found in the organization’s press release.
