Sen. Scott Cyrway represents Senate District 16, which consists of Albion, Fairfield, Oakland, Waterville and Winslow. He serves as the Senate Republican lead on the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.

As a former sheriff’s deputy and the longtime state coordinator for Maine’s D.A.R.E. program, I’ve spent my career fighting to keep our communities and our kids safe from drugs, violence and exploitation. After joining the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office in 1992, I saw firsthand the devastating impact that drug abuse can have on families. That’s why I dedicated 22 years to D.A.R.E., working directly with schools, parents and law enforcement to keep dangerous substances out of young hands.

Now, as a member of the Maine Senate and ranking Senate member of the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, I remain focused on that same mission: protecting our youth and defending our communities from the growing threat of illegal drugs and criminal exploitation.

Today, we face a new and deeply troubling challenge: illicit nicotine vapes, kratom and the violent networks behind them.

This isn’t just about teens sneaking vapes into high school bathrooms. It’s about the proliferation of a vast, dangerous and highly organized criminal network that’s profiting off weak oversight, flooding our neighborhoods with unregulated substances and fueling a cycle of violence, addiction and exploitation.

Most of the disposable vapes hitting our streets come from overseas — often manufactured in Chinese factories and smuggled into the U.S. under false labels to avoid detection. These illegal products aren’t just landing in the hands of curious teenagers. They’re showing up in gas stations, smoke shops and convenience stores across Maine, right next to another rising threat — kratom, a highly addictive substance often called “gas station heroin.”

It may look like harmless retail, but make no mistake, this is the visible edge of an unregulated drug economy that stretches from foreign manufacturers to cartel-linked distributors and into our own backyards.

And what law enforcement is uncovering here in rural Maine is even more horrifying: Chinese-run marijuana “flop houses,” where young men — often victims of human trafficking — are forced to work under threat and false debts. These individuals are not just laborers; they are victims, exploited and trapped by the same transnational criminal networks that profit from illegal vape sales and synthetic drug trafficking.

This is organized crime operating in plain sight.

Despite federal laws, the FDA has only approved a small handful of e-cigarette products for sale. Yet, shelves across the country are filled with illegal alternatives — many of them toxic, counterfeit and dangerously potent. The FDA’s weak enforcement has allowed this illicit market to explode. Criminals saw the opportunity and filled the gap with billions of dollars worth of illegal vapes.

Thankfully, law enforcement has stepped in where the FDA has failed. Operations like Vape Trail, led by DHS, ATF and DEA, have seized tens of millions of dollars in illegal product and arrested hundreds. States like New York and North Carolina have launched their own enforcement actions, shutting down smoke shops doubling as drug fronts.

But here in Maine, we need to step up. Right now, law-abiding small businesses are being crushed by illegal competitors who ignore every rule and operate without fear of consequences. This isn’t a level playing field — it’s chaos. And it puts our kids, our communities and our local businesses in danger.

The solution is clear: aggressive enforcement to shut down rogue operators, tough, targeted regulation that protects public health and rewards responsible retailers and strong support for law enforcement to disrupt the criminal networks behind this dangerous trade.

According to a recent survey by Meeting Street Insights, 73% of voters support stronger enforcement against illicit vape sellers. The people of Maine are sending a clear message: protect our kids, our neighborhoods and the integrity of our communities.

This isn’t just a public health issue — it’s a violent crime issue. And we cannot afford to look the other way.

Let’s draw the line. Let’s protect Maine.