An immediate ban on the sale of all vaping products is being called devastating, catastrophic and horrific and many small store owners who sell the products said a four-month ban will put them out of business forever.
And one biochemical engineer who ran his own business in Chicopee creating vaping liquids said the ban isn’t going to prevent people from getting sick.
“It is going to put us out of business. I don’t know of any vape shops that will be able to stay open if they can’t sell products for four months,” said Erica Martins, who owns Notorious Vapors in Easthampton with her fiancé.
Gov. Charlie Baker announced the ban in reaction to 530 vaping-related illnesses and nine deaths reported across the country. It goes into effect immediately.
The cause of the respiratory illnesses is still a mystery. It has been found in people who have used e-cigarettes for nicotine and in those who solely used them for marijuana products. Some of those who have fallen ill said they purchased the products on the black market.
When announcing the emergency ban, which will last until Jan. 25, 2020, Baker said it is designed to give medical experts time to figure out what is causing the problems and find ways to regulate the industry.