Last Thursday, “I Vape” and “I Vote” signs were waving all over the halls of the Indiana Statehouse just outside the room where the Commerce and Technology Committee had met on Tuesday. The protests were hot on the heels of Senate Bill 539, written by Sen. Carlin Yoder, which is attempting to regulate the e liquid used in electronic cigarettes.

The bill requires e liquid manufacturers to obtain permits from the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. The bill also bans the sales of e liquids to minors, the use of child-proof caps, and a listing of ingredients on the bottle. Lawmakers insist the bill is meant to regulate the conditions in which e liquids are manufactured, and to control the distribution of the substance to minors. Detractors of the bill find the costs of said permits are overinflated and will have them running the risk of going out of business.

Yoder insists the bill is not in its final form, and made it clear that he is aware of their concerns. The bill still passed the committee 6-4. “This is not a bill I’m intending to cause any undue damage to the vape industry,” Yoder said. “This bill is just simply a way to bring some form of regulation to it in a way that keeps individuals safe.” Yoder went on to emphasize he is not looking to over-regulate the industry.

Evan McMahon, owner and operator of Liberation Vapo, in convinced the bill will kill the industry. McMahon came to the podium last Tuesday with 1,673 individual letters signed by Indiana residence over a span of 48 hours. The collection of letters and written opinions all had one common message to the committee: kill the bill. Many e liquid manufacturers already meet most of the requirements around bottle safety and ingredient listings. The main concern rests with the permit costs.

The permit requires retailers to only purchase e liquids from manufacturers who carry an Indiana permit. The permit itself costs $5,000, a cost many out-of-state e liquid manufacturers might not be willing to pay. No other state in the country requires a manufacturing permit like the one listed in the bill. Yoder went on to mention that electronic cigarettes, “have been a good cessation smoking tool and I think it is important.” And even though Yoder’s bill passed the committee, he is still working with the bill’s opponents to insure that it won’t be too harsh on the industry abroad.