Entering the doors of Speak Easy Vape Co. you will wander through a cloud of smoke before you are in front of aisles of e-juice. Vaping has become a new alternative to smoking cigarettes all across the world. Since 2013, vape shops have been opening all across New York City. Worldwide vaping sales in 2014 were around $7 billion dollars. There were at least 466 e-cigarette brands.
“Vape shops are very competitive, if you don’t have almost all of the e-juices that other vape shops have you will lose customers,” says Josh Lazaro, a manager at Stay Easy Vape Co., where he has been vaping for three years now.
New flavors are coming out all the time. So much to choose from you could go for years vaping trying new flavors. Over the past few years vaping have been gaining popularity, primarily among cigarette smokers who want to reduce the risks of smoking. The growing sales of vapes, driven initially by word of mouth and user enthusiasm, are now seen by entrepreneurs to gain financial stability and to threaten sales of cigarettes. Vaping has gone so viral that social media accounts were created for competitions. Below is an example of a vapor that calls himself “vapeanese” on Instagram.
“FDA is trying to take away our access to life saving vapor products… Vape shops cant tell you anything about mods, they cant tell you its a better alternative to smoking. We can’t do builds because they are basically forcing people to continue smoking” says Lazaro.
The legal status of e-cigarettes is currently pending in many countries. In May 2016 the FDA used its authority to deem e-cigarette devices and e-liquids to be tobacco products, which meant it intended to regulate the marketing, labeling, and manufacture of devices and liquids; vape shops that mix e-liquids or make or modify devices. E-cigarette and tobacco companies have recruited lobbyists in an effort to prevent the FDA from evaluating e-cigarette products or banning existing products already on the market. In order to consume or buy any e-liquid or e-cigarette you must now be 18 years old.
Although vaping is still being researched it definitely is an interesting trend that has been brought up within the last few years. While some smokers are still smoking cigarettes, others are seeking vaping. Lazaro describes this as a way to socialize with others and to have some fun. He encourages people to #STOPBLOWINGSMOKE to help out the vape community. All of social media contributes to help vaping grow and stop the growth of cigarette smokers.