Disposable vapes have taken over. In just two short years, Elf Bar, Lost Mary and their various competitors have become a ubiquitous part of modern life.

In doing so, disposable devices have all but entirely displaced pod-based vapes like the Juul.

While many have noted the environmental impact of rechargeable devices being supplanted by single-use ones, there’s been less discussion of the geopolitical aspect to this switch.

Because, the fall of Juul and the rise of disposable vapes in its place not only marks a move from a pod-based vaping market to a disposable one, but from an American-owned vaping industry to a Chinese-owned one.