ENDS Vape Shops
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Community, Support, Networking
- Findings suggest vape users support Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) retailers that promote community-building...
Economic Information
- The vapor industry is a dynamic part of the U.S. economy, accounting for about $24.46 billion in output or about 0.14 percent of GDP. It employs approximately 166,007 Americans who earned wages and benefits of about $7.90 billion.
- Members of the industry and their employees paid $3.31 billion in federal, state and local taxes. This does not include state and local sales taxes or excise taxes that may apply for specific retail purchases which are estimated to total $1.67 billion.
- Original link to the study
- The vapor product industry is an important part of the US economy. About $9.2 billion in vapor sales lead to 166,000 jobs and $24.5 billion in economic activity. About 58,430 of these jobs are held by people working for the over 13,480 independent retail vape shops located across the country.
- Based on independent vapor industry data, flavored vapor products account for about 85.7 percent of sales volume. Therefore, a ban on all flavored vapor products would:
- Cause sales to fall by about $8.4 billion and the overall economy would see a $22.4 billion hit.
- Eliminate over 151,850 jobs.
- Press Release: NEW ECONOMIC ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATES SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE IMPACT OF A NATIONAL FLAVOR BAN
Regulations
- Vape shop owners/managers reported:
- 1) entering the industry with positive intentions for their customers;
- 2) training their personnel to adhere to regulations and provide good customer service; and
- 3) significant concerns about the impact of FDA regulations. With regard to the latter, participants reported mistrust of the intentions of the FDA regulations, financial implications of the regulations (particularly for small businesses), difficulty understanding and interpreting the regulations, insufficient evidence to support the regulations, negative impact on customer service, negative impact on product offerings and product innovation/advancement, and negative implications of flavor bans and/or restrictions on sale of flavors.
- PDF Version
2020: Article: Native American Reservations a Haven for New York Vape Shops
- New York State’s 20 percent excise tax on vapor products and nearly 9 percent sales tax also do not apply to the Shinnecock and other tribes. Essentially, Silva said, patrons can spend almost 30 percent less than they normally spend, and nobody has to worry about breaking the law.
- Most expressed concern that complying with potential regulations, including banning flavors or tax increases, would jeopardize their business. Some felt that ENDS should not be regulated as tobacco products and felt that big tobacco was behind these proposed regulations. Most owners supported age restrictions and quality controls for e-liquid.
Second Hand Vapor
- Acetaldehyde and acrolein were not detectable after use of any of the test products.
- When these data were used as inputs to a computational room air level and non-user intake model, the ambient concentrations of exhaled nicotine and formaldehyde predicted that non-user intakes were substantially reduced for test product use compared to conventional cigarette use.
- Collectively, the results predict that room air levels and exposure of the selected analytes to non-users were relatively low and several-fold below regulatory PELs and AIHA limit under the modeled space and use conditions.
- ...room air levels of nicotine, formaldehyde, acrolein, and acetaldehyde levels were significantly below OSHA PELs or American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) limit...
- Glo, Iqos, and Juul have significantly less intense and persistent effects on indoor pollution in comparison to combustible tobacco cigarettes.
- For both product categories, the particle concentrations registered following each puff were in the same order of magnitude. However, for e-cigarettes the particle concentration returned rapidly to background values within seconds; for conventional cigarettes it increased with successive puffs, returning to background levels after 30–45 minutes. Unlike for the e-cigarette devices tested, such temporal variation was dependent on the room ventilation rate. Particle size measurements showed that exhaled e-cigarette particles were smaller than those emitted during smoking conventional cigarettes and evaporated almost immediately after exhalation, thus affecting the removal of particles through evaporation rather than displacement by ventilation.
- We collected air samples for flavoring chemicals (diacetyl, 2,3-pentanedione, 2,3-hexanedione, acetaldehyde, and acetoin), nicotine, formaldehyde, and propylene glycol.
- Concentrations of vaping-related chemicals in our air samples were below occupational exposure limits.
- Citation: NIOSH 2017. Evaluation of chemical exposures at a vape shop. By Zwack LM, Stefaniak AB, LeBouf RF. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Health Hazard Evaluation Report 2015-0107-3279
2017 Dr. Michael Siegel - Vape Shop Air Sampling by California State Health Department Suggests that Second Hand Vape Exposure is Minimal
- This study, although conducted under very high exposure conditions in a small, non-ventilated vape shop with many employees and customers vaping and clouds of vapor visible, did not document any dangerous levels of exposure to any hazardous chemical. Nicotine exposure was essentially non-existent. Formaldehyde exposure was no different than in many indoor and outdoor environments at baseline. Acetone, acetoin, other aldehydes, toluene, benzene, and xylene were not detected. Chemicals that have been associated with "popcorn lung" were also not detected by the standard method.
- This study adds to the evidence that under real-life conditions, "secondhand vaping" does not appear to pose any significant health risks.
- Tobacco cigarette smoke provided the samples containing highest concentrations of all compounds analyzed. Besides nicotine it contained benzene, toluene, xylenes, ethylbenzene and naphthalene in high abundance as well as other compounds such as isoprene, pent-1-ene, n-pentane, n-hexane, n-heptane and others.
- This composition was in strong contrast with that of vapor from the e-cigarettes in which all these compounds were virtually absent except nicotine
- Threshold Limit Values (TLVs), were conducted under “worst case” assumptions about both chemical content of aerosol and liquids as well as behavior of vapers.
- There was no evidence of potential for exposures of e-cigarette users to contaminants that are associated with risk to health at a level that would warrant attention if it were an involuntary workplace exposures.
- Exposures of bystanders are likely to be orders of magnitude less, and thus pose no apparent concern.
- Comparisons of pollutant concentrations were made between e-cigarette vapor and tobacco smoke samples. Pollutants included VOCs, carbonyls, PAHs, nicotine, TSNAs, and glycols.
- Non-cancer risk analysis revealed “No Significant Risk” of harm to human health for vapor samples from e-liquids.
- With regard to cancer risk analysis, no vapor sample from e-liquids exceeded the risk limit for either children or adults.
Smoking Cessation / Switching
- Most staff in these shops are vapers, having stopped smoking themselves, and they are generally keen to help others become ex-smokers.
- Alternative link
- "There was consensus that the service should comprise both product (98%) and behavioural support (97%)...Delivering vape-shop based smoking cessation interventions could help to maximise the effectiveness of e-cigarettes for quitting smoking."
- The results suggest that the intervention should be delivered by vape shop workers with mandatory training with the support of stop smoking service providers...The intervention should comprise both technical guidance on using a vape and behavioural support to prevent a return to smoking.
- Most vape shop employees provide advice to customers who desire to quit cigarette smoking and initiate electronic cigarette use. Approximately 85% of employees had quit cigarettes by switching to e-cigarettes.
- Among those smoking 12 months prior to the survey, smoking cessation rates were higher for vape shop and internet customers than for retail customers, even though retail customers were more likely to use FDA-approved smoking cessation aids.
2018: A Qualitative Exploration of the Role of Vape Shop Environments in Supporting Smoking Abstinence
- At an individual level, shops can provide a supportive environment. Shops also provided ongoing support to reduce risk of smoking lapse.
- At an interpersonal level, shops can offer friendly personable service. For some vapers, shops also provided an opportunity for social interaction, acting as a community group.
- At a structural level, shops provide a competitive environment, responding to legislative changes.
- Furthermore, vape shops provide opportunity to those who do not wish to stop smoking to try vaping and perhaps eventually stop smoking.
- Vape shops can provide effective behavioural support to quitters to maintain smoking abstinence. Health professionals could capitalise on this through partnership working with shops, to ensure best outcomes for clients wanting to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking.
2018 (Report): Working with vape shops
- UK National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT)
- This guide covers:
- How can vape shops support stop smoking services?
- How can stop smoking services work with vape shops?
- What does ‘reputable vape shop’ mean?
- Can vape shops be trusted?
- Are vape shops owned by or associated with the tobacco industry?
- This study describes the advice that former-smokers who used e-cigarettes to quit smoking would offer to smokers who are considering using an e-cigarette to support an attempt to quit smoking. Vapers advised smokers to find the right combination of device, flavors and nicotine strength, continue to smoke and vape for a while if they wished, not be deterred by past failed attempts to quit smoking, and expect health to improve after they have switched to vaping. Encouraging smokers to interact with vaping peers in vape shops and in online vaping-dedicated discussion forums may help significantly more smokers switch to vaping.
- PDF Version
2018: A Qualitative Exploration of the Role of Vape Shop Environments in Supporting Smoking Abstinence
- At an individual level, shops can provide a supportive environment. Shops also provided ongoing support to reduce risk of smoking lapse.
- At an interpersonal level, shops can offer friendly personable service. For some vapers, shops also provided an opportunity for social interaction, acting as a community group.
- At a structural level, shops provide a competitive environment, responding to legislative changes.
- Furthermore, vape shops provide opportunity to those who do not wish to stop smoking to try vaping and perhaps eventually stop smoking.
- Vape shops can provide effective behavioural support to quitters to maintain smoking abstinence. Health professionals could capitalise on this through partnership working with shops, to ensure best outcomes for clients wanting to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking.
- Tobacco shops’ reasons for carrying e-cigarettes were business oriented... In comparison, vape shops opened because of the owner’s positive experiences with e-cigarettes and belief in the potential of e-cigarettes to help people quit or reduce smoking.
- The majority of vape shop customers are vapers who have quit smoking. Shop staff play a central role in providing customers with product information, and many provide smoking cessation advice.
- Most owners were former smokers and used ENDS to quit. Vape shop owners are in a unique position to serve as frontline consumer educators.
- Vape shop owners perceived ENDS to be less harmful and more economical than conventional cigarettes and indicated that most of their customers used ENDS as a smoking cessation tool
- The intensive engagement with customers over time provides social support for quitting and practical advice, both of which are elements of recommended smoking cessation counseling.
- Across the US, vape shops have emerged to provide e-cigarette users access to products not usually available at gas stations or retail stores.
- Mod use and intention to use e-cigs as a cessation device were significantly associated with vape shop spending.
- Customers who spent more than $50/month used lower levels of nicotine (mg/ml) (p=0.003) but a greater quantity of e-liquid (ml/month).
- Vape-shop managers explain how they successfully switched from smoking to vaping and help customers individually find the right combination of device, e-liquid flavor, and nicotine concentration.
- Among vapor store customers in the USA who use ENDS to stop smoking, vaping longer, using newer-generation devices and using non-tobacco and non-menthol flavored e-liquid appear to be associated with higher rates of smoking cessation.
- "Findings: Retention rate was elevated, with 69% of participants attending their final follow-up visit. At 12 month, 40.8% subjects could be classified as quitters, 25.4% as reducers and 33.8% as failures. Switching from standard refillables (initial choice) to more advanced devices (MODs) was observed in this study (from 8.5% at baseline to 18.4% at 12 month) as well as a trend in decreasing the e-liquid nicotine strength, with more participants adopting low nicotine strength (from 49.3% at baseline to 57.1% at 12 month). Conclusions: We have found that smokers purchasing e-cigarettes from vape shops with professional advice and support can achieve high success rates."
Vape Shops - Beyond Community and Switching
- Several participants used Google to search for information on ENDS’ health effects, but described the material they retrieved as vague or contradictory.
- Participants also found ENDS retailers provided helpful information on device selection, operation and maintenance
- Many had also asked retailers about the nicotine level they should be using, and how e-liquids compared with cigarettes
- Yet while specialist ENDS retailers offered helpful practical advice, non-specialist retailers often did not.
- Our participants reported positive interactions with specialist vape shop retailers, whose practical guidance assisted vaping uptake.
Articles, Blogs, Op-Eds, etc
2024: Article: In My Vape Shop, I Learned How the VA Lets Veterans Down
- Over the next two weeks, Bob brought in nine of his fellow vets to get my help to quit smoking. They called their vapes “puffing machines.” They’d thought they were too old to benefit from quitting smoking, but as the VA rightly told them, it is never too late. They were surprised to find themselves feeling better once they quit.
- Source: Kim "Skip" Murray, Filter Magazine
- Of eight states that had e-cigarette taxes prior to 2019, seven saw an increase in proportions of young adult smokers after their state e-cigarette tax went into effect. California had a 34 percent increase in people aged 18-24 who smoked after the passage of an e-cigarette tax. Deleware's increase was 48.6 percent. Pennsylvania passed a 40% wholesale tax on vapor products, which closed 1/3 of the vape shops in that state and increased smoking in the 18-24 year old age group by 19 percent. Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota and West Virginia also say increases in smoking in young adults after passing taxes on vapor products.
2020: Article: Native American Reservations a Haven for New York Vape Shops
- New York State’s 20 percent excise tax on vapor products and nearly 9 percent sales tax also do not apply to the Shinnecock and other tribes. Essentially, Silva said, patrons can spend almost 30 percent less than they normally spend, and nobody has to worry about breaking the law.
- A retired secretary in her 70s, she’s often the oldest customer in the shop. Not that she cares. What matters is that after ignoring decades of doctors’ warnings and smoking two packs a day, she hasn’t lit up a conventional cigarette in four years and four months...But while the proportion of Americans who smoke continues to decrease — down to 15.1 percent in 2015 — the decline has stalled among older adults.
- Archived Link
- Source: Paula Span, The New York Times
Social Media
2020: Twitter - Thread about Vape Shops and E-Liquid Manufacturers Donating Supplies During COVID Outbreak
- Ongoing project
Videos, Webinars, Summits, Conferences, Podcasts, Interviews, etc
Letters
- Senator Ron Johnson to President Trump
Tools for shops: Age Verification
Tools for shops: Recycling
Tools for shops: Training Programs For Shop Staff
- The course is called SQUIRAL (Supporting Quitting: Understanding the theory of addiction & Increasing knowledge of Replacements & remedies. An onLine course). https://squiral.net/home
- It has been designed for adults over the age of 21 who currently work as:
- LMIC (low and low-middle income country) Community Health Workers
- Indigenous community health workers; or
- Vape shop staff or other retailers of THR products.
- The course may also be useful for THR advocates who regularly advise people who smoke to switch to THR alternatives.