Is Indiana Banning Vapes?

Indiana is set to introduce a bill that bans the sale, distribution, and use of all e-liquids and vapor products state-wide. This bill H.B. 1218 takes effect on July 1, 2025. If approved.

Keyword here is "if approved." Meaning there's still time to resist the impending law while the bill goes through readings at the Senate and House of Representatives.

But why is there a need to oppose the vape ban in Indiana?

Let's look at the bill in its exact words.

House Bill 1218

H.B. 1218 “Prohibits a person from distributing, selling, offering to sell, making a delivery sale of, or offering for batter or exchange an e-liquid or vapor product in Indiana after June 30, 2025.”

In simple terms:

H.B. 1218 bans all kinds of vapes in Indiana beginning July 1, 2025. Be it flavored or unflavored, public spaces or indoors, 21 years or below, it becomes completely illegal to sell or possess any vape product in Indiana.

If you live in Indiana, you're likely already aware that a smoking ban took effect on July 1, 2012. The ban, known as Indiana Smoke-Free Air Law, prohibits smoking a lit cigarette, cigar, pipe, or other tobacco smoking equipment whether at home or in public places.

Tobacco is harmful. It has been proven to cause a truckload of deadly diseases like lung cancer, asthma, and heart disease. So the smoking ban was welcome. For people who are addicted to smoking and are looking to quit, tobacco-free alternatives like e-cigarettes have been a helpful quit aid.

Vapes are tobacco-free, meaning they eliminate the myriad health risks that tobacco presents. They allow consumers to derive the relaxing benefits of nicotine without smoking. But now there's a ban on these, too.

Why H.B. 1218 Does More Harm Than Good?

HB 1218 is not about regulating the use of vape products. H.B 1218 bill seeks to entirely eliminate vape products in all forms throughout Indiana, including flavored vapes. This means:

· All vape shops will be forced to shut down

· The entire vape industry in Indiana dies

· Loss of jobs and revenue

· Adult consumers are restricted from buying vapor products online

· Adult consumers lose access to alternative nicotine products

· Former smokers who use vaping as a way to gradually quit smoking and nicotine may struggle with withdrawal

· Severe penalties for anyone who violates the law.

Vaping Ban in Indiana - An Impending Public Health Risk?

The vaping ban in Indiana will not only drive hundreds of shop owners out of business and cost thousands of employees their income source. It just might cause a public health risk.

How?

According to most health experts, vaping is a safer alternative to smoking. In her 2023 Cochrane Review of eCigs, Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, assistant professor of health policy and promotion in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences said:

"We have very clear evidence that, though not risk free, nicotine e-cigarettes are substantially less harmful than smoking. Some people who haven't had success in the past with other quit aids have found e-cigarettes have helped them."

Granted, e-cigarettes are not risk-free. So it might make sense that Indiana legislators may want to eliminate every risk. But this vape ban will not crash demand to zero.

For thousands of Hoosiers using vapor products as an aid to quit smoking, severing their access can push them into relapse. Hence promoting demand for nicotine and tobacco.

And they will discreetly seek other unregulated and black-market smoke products to quell their cravings. Such products may be even more harmful and addictive, leading to a worse public health risk than what the state of Indiana attempts to curb.

If you're a business or former smoker who vaping has helped in their tobacco-free journey, your concerns about the proposed Indiana vaping ban are justified.

Lend Your Voice Against H.B. 1218

HB 1218 has not yet been passed into law. Until it does on July 1, 2025, there is time to oppose it.

Lend your voice in opposing the Indiana vape ban by:

· Reaching out to your Indiana lawmakers here.

· Or by filling out the VTA Call to Action form.

Also, feel free to inform your local vape vendors. The more voices we pull, the greater the resistance

Here are salient points to put forth to your legal representatives against H.B. 1218:

· Former smokers have switched to vaping as a cleaner and safer alternative

· Completely prohibiting e-cigs may push users to seek other behind-closed-doors alternatives

· This discreet demand may create black markets

· Black markets are unregulated and pose serious health risks to consumers

· Adults should have the right to safer alternatives to smoking that’s best for them.

Are Flavored Vapes Legal in Indiana?

Effective July 1, 2025, H.B. 1218 bans all e-liquids and vapor products, including flavored vapes. No kind of vape would be legal anymore in Indiana, be it flavored or not, not even for recognized adults.

Banning Flavored Vapes = No More Teen Vaping? Think Again!

HB 1218 does not currently include any exemptions, not even for medical nicotine therapy via e-cigs. The ban is absolute.

It gets even worse.

Indiana Introducing HB 1650

Like HB 1218, House Bill 1650 is another potential law that concerns vapor products and e-liquids in Indiana.

Let's not bore you with big words.

HB 1650 is an unnecessary regulation that seeks to impose the following on manufacturers of nicotine-containing vapor products and e-liquids:

· Additional licensing requirements

· More compliance paperwork

· Possible reformulation of products to meet new standards

· Increased costs for safety testing and labeling

But if there's a ban on e-liquids and vapor products in the first place, what market will these manufacturers sell to after going through these top-of-the-shelf bottlenecks?

HB 1218 and 1650 will force vape products off the market in Indiana.

What's Driving These Vape Bans?

Georgia Vape Ban 2025: The Looming Threat to Flavored Vapes

Some lawmakers claim they’re taking action to “protect the youth.” And yes, preventing minors from vaping is important. That's one thing we can all agree on.

But here's the kicker: these bills don’t target underage usage. They do not regulate the use of vapes. They just kick them off the market for all users, including adults who are legal users according to federal laws.

Indiana and most of the United States already have laws prohibiting anyone under 21 from vaping. Instead of tightening the implementation of these laws, some Indiana lawmakers have chosen to punish responsible adult users and legitimate businesses.

If HB 1218 passes readings into law,

· Businesses that have built their livelihood around serving responsible adult customers will lose that livelihood.

· E-liquid manufacturers (closed and open systems) will leave the state and move to friendlier ones. This threatens Indiana's GDP.

· Supply chains will collapse. From product distributors to packaging companies to shipping services, every part of the vape supply chain in Indiana stands to lose.

Resist the ban now.

Where are Vapes Banned in the US?

· In California, New York, D.C., Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Utah, flavored e-liquids are banned. You're still free to use unflavored vapes.

· Georgia, Arkansas, Vermont, Utah, South Dakota, Oregon, New York, Nebraska, Maine, and Hawaii ban the online sales of vapes.

· All 50 states prohibit the use of e-cigarettes by underage persons.

These states understand that regulation doesn't have to mean elimination. Regulation basically reduces risks while allowing lawful adults the right to choose what's best for them.

Completely prohibiting adults from anything they've already come to love all but pushes them to find illicit alternatives. And these alternatives are not always the best for them.

What Can You Do?

Remember, H.B. 1218 is still a bill, not yet a law. Vaping hasn't yet been banned in Indiana. But HB 1218 seeks to effect this ban as of July 1, 2025.

If the majority of Indiana lawmakers oppose this bill, it will not stand. It's up to responsible adults to show these lawmakers reasons why they should reconsider and kick against this bill.

Fun fact: Like Indiana, many states have proposed state-wide vaping bans over the years. But beyond online sales and flavored vape bans, full-scale vape bans couldn't stand due to grassroots opposition.

Call your representatives, support the VTA Call to Action, and join voices to oppose bad legislation in Indiana before it’s too late.

FAQs

Is Vaping Banned in Indiana?

Lawmakers have proposed a bill known as H.B. 1218 that seeks to ban vaping in Indiana from July 1, 2025.

Where are Vapes Banned in the US?

There's no nationwide ban on vapes in the US. But some states and cities have restrictions: Flavored vape bans exist in New York, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Utah, and DC. Online sales of vape products are restricted in states like Arkansas, Georgia, and Maine.

Can You Buy eCigs in Indiana?

Yes, adults aged 21 or older can currently buy e-cigs in Indiana from retail shops and online. Starting July 1, 2025, buying e-cigs in Indiana becomes illegal.

Are Vapes Being Banned in the US in 2025?

There is no nationwide ban on vapes in the US as of 2025. However, some states like Indiana are moving to ban vaping in 2025, not just for minors but for all users.

When Can You Buy Vapes in Indiana?

There is a complete ban on all e-liquids and vapor products starting July 1, 2025, making it illegal to buy or sell any kind of vape product in Indiana. Before then, Indiana residents could buy vapes when they turn 21.

Is Vaping Illegal Indoors in Indiana?

Some local governments in Indiana like Indianapolis, Goshen, and Greenwood have already banned e-cigs in all enclosed workplaces (including bars and restaurants), but there's no state-wide ban yet. H.B. 1218, which takes effect July 1, 2025, completely bans vaping in Indiana, indoors and outdoors.