Trump voters oppose vape bans, favor FDA reform — and Alabama’s new law highlights the stakes.
A recent poll shows overwhelming support for flavored vape access among Trump’s base, even as Alabama enacts new restrictions that could devastate small businesses.
In Alabama, lawmakers have passed House Bill 8, a 2025 law that significantly tightens restrictions on where and how vaping products can be sold. Under the new rules, convenience stores and gas stations are banned from selling any vaping products that haven’t received FDA authorization — effectively removing most flavored vapes from their shelves.
Only specialty stores that bar entry to those under twenty-one will be allowed to carry non-FDA-approved products.
The impact on local retailers could be severe. Small convenience shops, which increasingly depend on vape sales as a growing revenue stream, are now locked out of a major segment of the market. Industry advocates argue the law’s FDA-only requirement favors large corporations and will wipe out smaller businesses that can’t afford the costly approval process or adapt their inventories to match the FDA’s narrow list of permitted products.
“This is exactly the kind of misguided regulation Trump voters reject,” said Tony Abboud, executive director of the Vapor Technology Association. “When government tells small business owners what legal products they can or cannot sell — especially without a clear path to compliance — it’s not just bad policy, it’s bad for jobs.”
That concern is echoed in a new nationwide survey of Trump voters released last week by the VTA and conducted by Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway. The poll, conducted April 11 through 14, found overwhelming support among likely 2024 Trump voters for reversing President Joe Biden’s flavored vaping ban and reforming U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy.
“President Trump’s voters, which represent a majority of the nation, continue to reject outright, unnecessary bans on products like flavored vapes,” said Conway, a former senior advisor to Trump. “Biden was the Ban Man. President Trump is building on his first term success of balancing adult access to vaping products, including those who wish to mitigate or eliminate smoking, with protecting minors.”
According to the poll, 65 percent of Trump voters support Trump’s pledge to “save vaping” by reversing the ban — including 41 percent who strongly support the move. Support is especially strong among men (71 percent), young adults (70 percent), vape users (70 percent), and both low-income (61 percent) and high-income (73 percent) voters.
Conway emphasized that Trump voters support “widespread, common-sense reform to an already overregulated industry,” especially when it comes to protecting access for adults and preserving small businesses.
Abboud added, “Saving flavored vaping resonates with Trump voters because it is a fundamentally America-first policy. Banning flavored vapes based on their country of origin, as some have suggested, will destroy American jobs, market competition, and will unfairly punish U.S. small businesses across this great country — which sixty-two percent of Trump voters say should not happen.”
The poll also found 70 percent support for a bold public education campaign promoting safer alternatives to cigarettes, such as vaping products or nicotine pouches. A similar 70 percent believe the FDA should prioritize streamlined, science-based oversight — not politicized decision-making. Additionally, 72 percent support making the FDA’s approval process affordable enough for small businesses to compete with Big Tobacco.
Support for FDA reform and harm reduction policies is closely linked to perceptions of federal overreach. Seventy-six percent agree that cutting vaping regulations aligns with Trump’s push to reduce red tape across industries like crypto, energy and tobacco. Sixty-eight percent say the current rules should be reviewed by Elon Musk’s tongue-in-cheek “Department of Government Efficiency.”
For many Trump voters, vaping policy is also about freedom of choice. Seventy-one percent agree that reversing Biden’s flavored vape ban would restore the right of adults to make their own decisions. Another 65 percent say banning flavored vapes and nicotine pouches sets a dangerous precedent for future bans on other consumer products.
Rather than sweeping bans, voters prefer targeted restrictions to protect minors. Seventy-one percent agree that limiting how and where flavored vapes are marketed is smarter than banning them outright. Eighty-one percent support advertising restrictions aimed at youth, including 64 percent who strongly support such limits.
On the economic front, voters responded strongly when told about the potential impact of Biden’s ban. After learning it could eliminate ninety thousand jobs and reduce economic output by $17.5 billion, 44 percent said they were less likely to support the policy. Exposure to clinical data — including studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine — showing that flavored vaping can help adults quit smoking also significantly reduced support for a ban.
The poll also found 67 percent support for a public education campaign focused on informing adult smokers about safer alternatives, and 74 percent back harm reduction policies over blanket prohibitions.
Finally, Trump voters distinguish the independent vaping industry from Big Tobacco. Sixty-two percent say it’s unfair to punish U.S. small businesses because vape products are made in China — a reality they say is no different than smartphones or microwaves. Agreement is especially strong among younger voters (69 percent), vape users (73 percent), and parents of teens (63 percent).
As the 2026 election cycle ramps up, the VTA and Conway argue that vaping policy remains a potent issue among Trump’s core base — one that fuses economic populism, deregulatory instincts, and personal freedom into a clear “America First” message.
