LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Troy LeBlanc, a local vape retailer and distributor, is bracing for significant changes as a new Kentucky law banning most vape products takes effect on Jan. 1, 2025.
The law prohibits the sale of all vaping products except those authorized by the FDA, forcing LeBlanc to remove more than 90% of his inventory.
Adding to the turmoil is a federal lawsuit involving Triton, a company that supplies many of the products LeBlanc carries.
“There are multiple lawsuits,” LeBlanc said. “However, the largest one currently is a federal lawsuit brought by Triton. That lawsuit is on appeal, and the FDA has brought it to the Supreme Court. It’s being heard on Monday.”
LeBlanc, who operates multiple stores in Louisville, said the impact of the law will hit retailers like him the hardest.
“The people who are going to hurt the most in this are the stores like mine that truly want to help people quit smoking and quit vaping,” LeBlanc said. “The stores that are going to stay open are the ones that don’t care. They just grab whatever’s behind the counter and hand it to you.”
For LeBlanc, vaping is personal. A former smoker, he credits zero-nicotine vapes with helping him quit.
“This right here has no nicotine,” he explained, holding a vape pen. “We’ve had over 100,000 unique customers in the last ten years, and thousands have quit smoking and vaping, just like me.”
The law passed earlier this year bans all non-FDA-authorized vape products. Since LeBlanc does not carry any authorized items, he plans to move two of his stores across the river to Indiana, where the restrictions don’t apply.
“We’re going to try to hang on to a few of them until after the Supreme Court case,” he said. “But we’re definitely going to shut down a few stores.”
LeBlanc likened the law to “vape prohibition.”
“Prohibition does not work. People will still buy online or cross the bridge to get what they want,” he said. “And plenty of stores will continue to carry these products because the state of Kentucky will not effectively police it.”
The Kentucky Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) agency is responsible for enforcing the new law, but LeBlanc remains skeptical about its effectiveness.
For now, he’s hoping the Supreme Court ruling on Triton’s case could provide some relief, but the uncertainty is forcing him to adapt or shut down altogether.
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- Kentucky House committee passes bill that vape retailers fear would ban majority of their products
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