Vape shop owners fear going out of business if flavor ban law is signed

Vape shop owners are fearful of going out of business if a flavor ban law is signed.

News 12 Staff

Jan 15, 2020, 9:27 PM

Updated 1,564 days ago

Share:

Lawmakers have passed a bill banning flavored electronic cigarette products, sending it to Gov. Phil Murphy for approval. But the bill has many vape shop owners worried that it could put them out of business.
“There’s no way I can survive just on tobacco flavors,” says shop owner Vincent Mattia.
Mattia says that for the last six years he has sold many products in his Point Pleasant Beach store to legal-aged adults looking for alternatives to cigarettes.
“We don’t sell to kids. We sell to adults. The solution is to let adults have it,” he says.
Legislators say that the bill is needed to keep minors from becoming addicted to nicotine products. But Mattia says that he disagrees.
“The real killer is cigarettes. They kill 480,000 Americans every year. But there’s no problem there. There’s a money issue,” he says. “They took menthol cigarettes off the ban because the state was afraid of losing $540 million in taxes. This isn’t about public health. It is about money.”
If the governor signs the bill, it will go into effect within 90 days. Mattia and other store owners say that they hope in that time a compromise can be reached to both better monitor the age of users and at the same time keep stores open for legal adults.
Legislation to regulate vape products gained momentum last year after people were sickened by a lung disease associated with e-cigarette use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracked down the cause of most of those cases to a chemical known as vitamin E acetate found in “illegal” vaping cartridges containing THC.


More from News 12
0:27
Police: Norwalk man arrested in connection to Main Street stabbing

Police: Norwalk man arrested in connection to Main Street stabbing

1:50
Scattered showers overnight for Connecticut; sun returns Sunday afternoon

Scattered showers overnight for Connecticut; sun returns Sunday afternoon

1:43
Hundreds of Fairfield University students celebrate annual springtime Clam Jam

Hundreds of Fairfield University students celebrate annual springtime Clam Jam

1:53
Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

1:59
Danbury Hospital employees demand fair contract as rallies continue

Danbury Hospital employees demand fair contract as rallies continue

0:21
Stratford PD: Woman wanted on felony robbery warrant considered ‘armed and dangerous’

Stratford PD: Woman wanted on felony robbery warrant considered ‘armed and dangerous’

0:26
Milford FD: Person extricated from rollover crash

Milford FD: Person extricated from rollover crash

0:22
Officials: Norwalk man drove off the road and landed in the Five Mile River in Darien

Officials: Norwalk man drove off the road and landed in the Five Mile River in Darien

0:41
'Walk A Mile in Her Shoes' in Fairfield raises awareness about sexual and domestic violence

'Walk A Mile in Her Shoes' in Fairfield raises awareness about sexual and domestic violence

2:28
Doctors are seeing an increase in pickleball-related injuries. Here how to avoid them

Doctors are seeing an increase in pickleball-related injuries. Here how to avoid them

1:46
Kids Helping Kids and Person to Person partner to host annual Handled with Care Boutique

Kids Helping Kids and Person to Person partner to host annual Handled with Care Boutique

Mathew Barzal scores in 2nd OT as Islanders beat Hurricanes 3-2 to avoid series sweep

Mathew Barzal scores in 2nd OT as Islanders beat Hurricanes 3-2 to avoid series sweep

0:24
Orange volunteer firefighters raise thousands to benefit the American Lung Association

Orange volunteer firefighters raise thousands to benefit the American Lung Association

2:37
Video released by CSP shows the moment a Connecticut state trooper is struck by a car on I-95 in Bridgeport

Video released by CSP shows the moment a Connecticut state trooper is struck by a car on I-95 in Bridgeport

2:13
‘Ashes and memories—that’s it.’ Brookfield fire victims get up close look at devastation; donation efforts underway

‘Ashes and memories—that’s it.’ Brookfield fire victims get up close look at devastation; donation efforts underway

1:01
Bridgeport officers rescue man threatening to jump off bridge on I-95

Bridgeport officers rescue man threatening to jump off bridge on I-95

1:46
Kids Helping Kids and Person to Person partner to host annual Handled with Care Boutique

Kids Helping Kids and Person to Person partner to host annual Handled with Care Boutique

0:19
Police: Philadelphia man faces charges for a swatting incident in Norwalk

Police: Philadelphia man faces charges for a swatting incident in Norwalk

1:58
New Haven police preparing for Sunday's pro-Palestinian protest on the Green

New Haven police preparing for Sunday's pro-Palestinian protest on the Green

1:37
Guide: How to dispose of prescription medicines in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York

Guide: How to dispose of prescription medicines in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York