A big decision is expected today regarding the sale of vapes in Louisiana.
In 2023, a law was passed to triple taxes on vape products in Louisiana. The extra revenue was to be allocated to entities like state police and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Part of the law banned the sale of products not approved by the FDA.
“All of the products we have here? Like 90 percent of them are not on there. So due to that, we were supposed to take a bunch of things off the shelves,” Ayub Kahn with Lit Vapes said, according to media reports.
Vape shop owners were supposed to register any approved products with Alcohol and Tobacco Control by November 2023, but that registry never came to fruition after the Louisiana Convenience Store and Vape Association filed a lawsuit.
They argue the law is unconstitutional and works against itself – it increased taxes on products, the majority of which it banned.
A judge granted a preliminary injunction in January temporarily halting the law from being enforced, and the permanent injunction hearing is taking place today.