In 2015, Indiana passed a state law that placed a whole new set of regulations on the production of e-liquids for sale in the state, such as using child-proof caps on e-juice bottles and traceable batch numbers. The overhaul has left suppliers scrambling around to meet these requirements, because if they are not approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission by June 30, 2017, they’ll be unable to manufacture or sell e-liquid in Indiana. Ever.
The massive change in law has caused a host of e-liquid suppliers to either hike up their prices or shut their doors for good, leading to a huge drop-off in the variety available. Indiana vape shops that used to sell hundreds of different e-liquids are now forced to pay more money for fewer options.
That in itself is enough to make the new laws seem extremely heavy-handed, but it’s another aspect of the changes that drew the attention of the rest of the country. An external security firm has to be contracted by the e-liquid supplier for some rather unnecessary measures. Conveniently enough, only one security firm in the entire country is qualified to perform all these tasks — and they’re based in Lafayette, Indiana. Not only is that the hometown of one of the bill’s sponsors, State Sen. Ron Atling, but the firm is also run by one of Atling’s high school classmates.
With claims of a monopoly being manufactured around e-cigs, this sparked an FBI probe into any possible corruption or illegal activity surrounding the state laws.
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