Statement from The Vapor Technology Association In Response to Governor McMaster’s Signing of SB 287

Published on March 3, 2026

WASHINGTON – March 3, 2026 –

“VTA is deeply disappointed that SB 287 has been signed into law, a burdensome and small business-crushing piece of legislation that will cripple South Carolina’s independent vaping industry and ultimately set back public health in the state. The provisions in this PMTA bill will harm South Carolina’s economy and eliminate access to the harm reduction benefits of e-cigarettes for adults looking to quit smoking.

SB 287 is detrimental to small business owners throughout the state, as well as the millions of consumers who rely on vapor products as a smoking cessation tool. Instead of prioritizing the health of South Carolinians who smoke and protecting products proven to be less harmful than combustible cigarettes, SB 287 is designed to limit the vapor products marketplace to a handful of tobacco-flavored and menthol-flavored, out-of-date products that were on the market over a decade ago and are controlled by Big Tobacco. SB 287 will lead to significant unintended consequences, including the closure of small businesses, hundreds of well-paying jobs lost across the state, and over $53 million of tax revenue dollars drained from the state’s economy.

The passage of this legislation sets a dangerous precedent of picking winners and losers through a directory system built on ambiguous compliance requirements, which will imperil the economic freedoms and consumer choices that are so important to South Carolinians.

Despite these developments in South Carolina, VTA continues its call for state and federal officials to establish scientific primacy and integrity in the regulations governing the safe and reliable sale of e-cigarettes to adult consumers.”

Statement attributable to Tony Abboud, Executive Director of the Vapor Technology Association.

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