Virginia Leaders Taking Action Against Illegal Vapes and Shops That Sell Them

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones announced today the creation of the Regulated Products Enforcement Unit, a new enforcement organization to crack down on illegal vape products, many of which are targeted to children. 

The unit comes after passage of the Vape Enforcement Act earlier this year and escalating crime related to illegal vape products and vape shops throughout the state. Richmond Police data shows there were 19 vape store break-ins during the first three months of 2026, compared with 20 break-ins during all of 2025. Of those incidents this year, 16 involved 12 vape stores that had been shut down as part of Operation Vaporize. 

CUSP helped to showcase the success of Richmond Mayor Danny Avula’s Operation Vaporize during a panel at the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting in June where he shared with the audience of mayors that the city of Richmond saw armed robberies decrease after prioritizing enforcement against bad-actor vape shops.

In the announcement, Attorney General Jay Jones said the unit was created as new products continue entering the marketplace. Most of these illegal products come from China, contain unknown ingredients and are marketed in ways that appeal to children. In addition to enforcement, the unit plans to focus on educating retailers and consumers while ensuring businesses that follow the law have a level playing field. 

Virginia is taking important enforcement action at the state level, but more can be done with a pot of $200 million that Congress dedicated to FDA enforcement funding that has yet to reach state and local agencies doing the work on the ground to help protect our communities.