A new e-cigarette with built-in video games is being illegally sold in New York and other parts of the United States, critics warn.
The disposable “smart vapes” are available in catchy-named flavors like “merry berry” and “cherry pop,” and have built-in, high-definition screens preloaded with multiple games, including ripped-off versions of classics like Tetris and Pac-Man.
They also offer digital prizes as incentives depending on how much a person vapes, and critics caution they’re being used to illegally lure America’s youth into nicotine addiction.
“Banned candy flavors melded with ‘Candy Crush’-type video games is a predatory recipe to get teens hooked,” said New York Association of Convenience Stores President Alison Ritchie, which represents 1,600 stores statewide.
Ritchie’s group is warning parents, teachers and law enforcement to be on the lookout for the new vapes, adding many are made in China and that federal and state regulators have done a poor job preventing them from getting into the U.S.
Although the smart vapes are banned in much of the U.S, they can be purchased by anyone over the Internet claiming to be 21 for as little as $17.95 each, including from Texas-based distributor Big D Vapor.
Vapes usually contain nicotine and other chemicals linked to lung disease and other health risks from long-term use.
Under state law, it’s illegal to sell flavored tobacco and vaping products, except menthol, mint or wintergreen-flavored. In New York, buyers must be at least 21 years old.
In 2022, 18.7% of New York high schoolers vaped, according to the state Health Department.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, sounded the alarm about the next-gen vapes last month in a report warning that “coupling nicotine to existing youth behaviors, such as video gaming and screen time use, could broaden the smart electronic cigarette market to include youth with no prior interest in nicotine products, while also reinforcing nicotine addiction among current users.”
Last month, Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-Staten Island) introduced a bill to crack down on the sale in NYC of illegal vaping devices disguised as school supplies.
