ATLANTA — Georgia is joining more than a dozen states in an effort to crack down on illegal vape products being sold in the U.S., officials said.
Attorneys general from the states are targeting illicit vape products, many of which are believed to be imported from China. The coalition sent a letter to major credit card companies asking them to help disrupt sales of the products.
The request was sent to Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover Financial Services, according to officials.
Officials are asking the companies to identify and remove merchants that sell illegal vape products from their payment networks.
In November of 2025, Georgia’s Attorney General also issued an updated consumer warning about an opioid-like substance being sold at some gas stations, vape shops, and convenience stores across the state. Officials say some of the products are designed to look like candy, gummies, or even ice-cream cones, raising concerns that they may appeal to children.
Health officials warn that concentrated 7-OH can be up to 13 times stronger than morphine and may lead to seizures, substance-use disorder, withdrawal, overdose, or death.
Officials also asked the companies to outline what steps they have already taken to combat the issue. Authorities said the effort is aimed at reducing the availability of unregulated vape products.
Earlier this year, State Representative Imani Barnes made a proposed bill that would place vape detection devices in every public high school in Georgia
Several metro Atlanta school districts, including Marietta city and DeKalb County Schools have installed the devices.
The investigation remains ongoing.