Hawaii Bans the Sale of Disposable Vapes Starting in 2027
Photo: Farragutful / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Hawaii Governor Josh Green signed two laws on July 7 that tighten the state's rules on electronic smoking devices. One bans the sale of disposable vapes statewide beginning January 1, 2027, and the other requires vape and e-liquid makers to prove their products hold federal authorization. Together they narrow the legal market to a small set of FDA-authorized products and keep flavored disposables off store shelves.
Hawaii's action pairs a device ban with a certification system. SB 2175 removes disposable electronic smoking devices from the market beginning in 2027, covering non-refillable and non-rechargeable single-use products that make up much of the disposable market. The measure exempts any disposable that has received an FDA marketing granted order, which currently includes only NJOY DAILY devices. Supporters framed the ban around youth vaping and the environmental burden of single-use plastic and lithium-battery devices.
HB 1573 approaches the rest of the market through certification. It requires manufacturers of electronic smoking devices and e-liquids to certify annually to the Attorney General that their products have received an FDA marketing granted order, and directs the Attorney General to maintain a public directory of authorized products and remove non-compliant ones. The FDA has authorized 45 e-cigarette products across five companies, nearly all in tobacco or menthol flavors. No fruit- or candy-flavored vapes hold federal authorization, so the certification requirement keeps those products off legal shelves.
State Representative Scot Matayoshi, who chairs the House Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee, said the certification law narrows the range of products legally available for sale without removing vaping entirely. Some harm-reduction advocates opposed the disposable ban, noting that more Hawaii adults now vape than smoke and warning that removing disposables could push some buyers toward cigarettes or unregulated sellers.
The two laws reshape what vape retailers in Hawaii can legally sell. Beginning January 1, 2027, disposable electronic smoking devices may not be sold, offered for sale, or distributed in the state unless they carry an FDA marketing granted order, which today covers only NJOY DAILY. The certification requirement in HB 1573 reaches the broader category of devices and e-liquids, limiting legal sales to FDA-authorized products tracked in a state directory, which excludes the fruit- and candy-flavored products that make up much of current sales. Retailers have the remainder of 2026 to sell down disposable inventory before the ban takes effect, and violations of the ban carry fines of up to 100 dollars per day.