Amid reports of unexplained lung illnesses across the country caused by vaping, state and national politicians have called for laws banning it.
But local vape shop owners say the recent outrage is misplaced and expressed frustration over possible regulations, saying the bans will fail to have the intended effect.
Mark Awad, the owner of Vape Beast in Metuchen, said officials are failing to look at the main problem behind the rise of teenage vaping—the black market.
“People are buying it off the street. You don’t know—no one ever knows what [they’re] getting off the street,” Awad, 29, said. “Shops, we look at what we’re getting. We’re not getting fake products.”
Awad said the majority of his customers are people trying to quit smoking cigarettes, something he’s familiar with himself. He said he was a heavy smoker for 12 years, smoking a pack a day, when he switched to vaping.
If the bans and regulations go through, he said, every vape shop would have to close and the majority of people would go back to smoking cigarettes. Furthermore, teens will find a way to get “whatever they want.”
“They’re pointing all the fingers at the industry, but what about the parents? How are they finding out?” he questioned. “Or were they even purchasing it for the kid? They should be looking at that.”
More than 450 possible cases of serious breathing illnesses, including at least six deaths, in 33 states, have been linked to vaping, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has not identified whether the outbreak is from black-market or legal vaping products.
State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said on Tuesday he was considering a complete ban on vaping. The Trump administration said on Wednesday it would ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes. And Governor Phil Murphy announced the formation of a vaping task force on Thursday.
Officials have said no single vaping device, liquid or ingredient has been tied to all the illnesses.
Basit Memon, the owner of Aladdin Glass & Vape in Edison, said the talk of regulations is misguided.
“It seems as if they’re targeting the wrong industry right now, with these six or 10 scenarios people are talking about,” he said. “All the stuff that we’re selling is FDA regulated.”
Memon said his Edison shop opened up almost four weeks ago and is one of seven family-owned locations in the area. If it and other vape shops were to close because of vape bans, it would have “a big toll on a lot of small businesses.”
An online petition created Wednesday to stop the president from signing a federal ban of flavored e-cigarette products has garnered almost 55,000 signatures. Two shop owners NJ Advance Media spoke with had signed it.
Buying black market cartridges on the street is never safe, another vape shop manager cautioned.
“You don’t know what’s inside that cartridge, it could be anything. It could be pesticides. It’s not safe,” said Shaggy, the manager at 1 South Vape in Edison, who declined to provide his last name.
“I feel like it’s just targeting the wrong market,” he added. “[Officials] are trying to kill vaping and using it as a way out.”
Preventing teens and other youth from using vape products will come through a mindset change, instead of government regulations, he argued.
“The streets are always going to be there. The people are always going to be in the streets. It’s a matter of people wanting to change themselves and be more aware,” he said. “It’s not how we change the streets, but how we change the people.”
There are more than 250 vape shops in New Jersey, according to the New Jersey Vapor Right Coalition.
“It doesn’t make sense,” Awad said. “They’re not looking at the cigarette companies. I think they’re making a big mistake by trying to ban vaping.”
Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @briannakudisch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.
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