When I heard from various shared Facebook articles that vape stores were "shutting down," I really didn't believe the hype. But, I kept hearing more and more about it–probably because I vape and have friends that do too. I've been pretty successful in cutting back on cigarettes using my vaporizer, and I've seen other positive stories firsthand. The changes in my overall physical health have been noticeable–after smoking even one cigarette, I feel like a simple workout at the gym is a torture session. After switching to vaping, I feel like it's no chore at all. My girlfriend is a lot happier when I don’t stink as badly too. But, my journey hasn’t been met without any opposition or backsliding. I still resort to cigarettes during heightened times of stress, particularly when working on projects that keep me awake late into the night, but lately they’ve been giving me headaches. When I vape, I have no headaches and no sick feelings. My appetite returns, and I can even taste food more vividly. Typically, when I vape around other longtime smokers, I’m met with at least one scary story, no doubt something shared on Facebook, about how inhaling vapor will give me some unpronounceable new disease. They tell me I might get popcorn lung from one of the chemicals in a particular flavoring calledDiacetyl, even though one is 2,000 times more likely to get popcorn lung from a cigarette anyway. Vaping in and of itself may not be "healthy" like eating vegetables or exercising, but for someone who is choosing between vapor and smoke, the decision may be life saving. Aside from my personal experience, we should be looking at the facts, and the facts are quite staggering. Not only is vaping healthier than smoking, it’s significantly healthier. So why is there so much fear and doubt involved? Has the news been unfair in it’s reporting? I visited Bear Ohm, a new Vape store located on Youree drive to have a conversation with Trace Martin, the owner, about these topics. If anyone would know, wouldn’t it be him? Were vape stores really closing? What do all of these regulations mean?

When I pulled up to the store, I didn’t know what to expect inside. There are two doors you must open to enter the shop, and the windows provide no hint of interior views. Upon entering, I felt like I was in Colorado or New York, where chic meets practicality. Bear Ohm has an extremely welcoming atmosphere, and a clean feeling vibe. Having just smoked a cigarette before, I sensed my own dinginess clashing with the vibrant, futuristic flow. Being the sentimental Trekkie and futurist I am, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment that I’m still craving the cigs, and haven’t fully boarded the vape train. If the FDA has its way, it’s about to become much harder for people like me to board that train. Before I went in for the interview, Trace wanted to make sure that I was honest in my reporting and didn’t slander their business. After talking for a few moments, I soon understood why.

Trace expressed his disappointment to me that other news reporters were deceitful; pretending to be on their side, but actually using bits of information and half-truths to present a scathing story. “They say that we were trying to target kids with the flavors. They don’t tell you that they’re going to turn it all against you.” When we were on the news, they left out most of the points that really mattered. They didn’t want to say that the FDA was wrong. I feel like they weren’t trying to get in trouble, but at the same time, they did manipulate it to sound like we were against all regulations. One of the regulations is that you have to be 18 or older to purchase. They just said "Oh, he’s against the regulations, and the regulations say you have to be 18 or older to purchase. That kind of makes me look bad.”

It’s not as if Trace and other vaping vendors aren’t for common sense regulations, they are against regulations that would, quite frankly, put them completely out of business. These particular regulations would stop the sell of all products made after 2007, reducing the market to less advanced, e-cigs. Most of the vape devices, or mods as they’re called, currently in use were made far after 2007. The customization that allows customers to choose the nicotine levels, wattage output, and overall experience will be destroyed. Many people who have tried the older e-cigs, like myself, experienced dissatisfaction and reverted back to smoking. The ability to choose nicotine levels and power output is essential in providing options that the former smoker needs to feel satisfied in the transition. The option for zero nicotine e-fluids is a popular one, and former smokers have been able to dose down gradually from higher nicotine levels, (such as those they are used to with a cigarette), to lower ones; eventually dosing down to zero and completely kicking their addiction to nicotine. All of these products and innovations were created very recently, and they deserve to be acknowledged. I asked Trace if there was a process for newer vaping products to be approved under the FDA, despite the regulations. There is, but it would cost up to or more than $1,000,000 per item to undergo the approval process. Taking into account that most vape stores are small businesses owned by middle-class entrepreneurs trying to compete with Big Tobacco, this is nothing short of a death sentence. How will they be able to keep up with the ever increasing prices from manufacturers once these regulations go into effect?

“I think these FDA regulations as a whole need more media attention. You have to pay to try the flavors now, because everything has to have a tax. We couldn’t put the mods together for you or show you how it works, which will make it harder to quit smoking. If you don’t know how to put it together, something’s gonna go wrong. You could blow your hand off.”

I can confirm this by experience. Without the help of the vape salesmen, I would be totally out of my league when it comes to figuring out all of the ins and outs. I probably wouldn’t have even bothered to continue vaping unless I had someone show me how it all worked. As I mentioned before, people like Trace and myself aren’t against regulations or some type of certification for vendors perhaps. No doubt, we need people who know what they are doing to sell these products to prevent incidents. But the likelihood of injury or even nicotine overdose is much higher when untrained customers are left to fend for themselves. You might as well tell people to build their own cars from parts bought at the dealership with no help or assistance from the car company.

Is vaping undeniably healthier than smoking? “When you look at the bad aspect of vaping, you’re using artificial flavors. Those are obviously not the best for you. Some of them can contain a chemical known as diacetyl, which gives a buttery taste. What they try to tell you is that diacetyl can give you Popcorn lung, it’s irreversible. But when you look at a cigarette, they never ask how much diacetyl is in a cigarette. Turns out, it’s about 2,000 times the amount from vapor.”

So, my chances of getting this disease are 2,000 times higher with a cigarette? I’ll take my chances with the vape. If that weren’t enough, studies show that lung cancer has decreased as vaping increases.

I’ve noticed that quite a few negative articles about vaping can be traced back to tobacco companies who fund the research. Some of the research may not be untrue, but the reports are certainly slanted and many details are left out. Quite simply, the tobacco industry doesn’t ever want you to vape, and it’s not because they care about your health. They want you to keep smoking.

“For the government’s sake, why not put a little extra tax on the products instead of trying to monopolize something they’ve monopolized for over 100 years?” Trace suggested. “It is putting a small dent in government revenue, however it has re-saturated local businesses and created more jobs. There over 100,000 new jobs in the vape industry in America alone. If vaping were to get destroyed overnight, I’d be looking for a part time job somewhere that probably won’t hire me because they’re full” explained Trace.

In Shreveport and Bossier alone, I can name at least seven new shops off the top of my head that have opened within the past couple of years. In a country where we are supposed to be pursuing happiness and the American dream, is closing down an industry that offers exponentially healthier options than smoking and creates thousands of jobs really the best move?

“Basically, they don’t want you to purchase items that were made after the year 2007. It would basically force you as a customer to hang on to the mods you already have, or if you’re a new customer, you would have to start with a cigalite, which is a small pen that just doesn’t work worth a crap.”

Personal experience leads me to agree with that statement.

“Or you could go to the tobacco store and buy a Blu Cig. This is all a part of how the FDA is trying to monopolize the industry. There are thousands and thousands of companies involved with vaping in the US alone. These regulations will make it illegal for me to sell any product made after February 15th , 2007. That regulation will go into effect later on. It hasn’t yet hit, and there is a petition to fight it. It’s called HR2058. If that bill doesn’t pass, you might as well get used to cigalites.”

As a vendor, they would make people like Trace go through a process where they apply for every item they wanted to sell. It costs a million dollars per item, and then the FDA may not even decide to approve it once tests are completed. “Even if they don’t decide to approve it, you just lost a million dollars,” he reiterated. Also, vendors would have to have all products approved by 2018 to remain on the market. “Even if you had the million dollars to begin with, it’s still a gamble. That’s completely unconstitutional in my eyes. They’re trying to make it the new ‘big tobacco’ right out the gate. They realized they couldn’t take it overnight, so they had to create all these regulations that will force you to shut down because you can’t afford it, or you just can’t get the business anymore because you’re not allowed to sell nice things. The vape products we offer now are so much more advanced than the ones made in 2007. “

He recounted his own personal quit story’.

Trace (above)
“I started with a setup around that time, and went right back to smoking. A couple of years later, someone handed me a newer mod and it reminded me of a portable hookah. Since then, I’ve quit smoking. I feel so much better after I quit. ”

When I asked him why he thought the approval process was so expensive, Trace had this to say: “Basically, they’re telling you that you’re a dog in a cage.”

“I’m willing to spend money, to update the lab,” he told me. “But forcing someone to put in a million dollar application per product, they have would destroy the business.”

Trace shared his opinions on the political aspect of this issue as well.

“In 2009, the Tobacco Control Act gave the FDA control over the tobacco industry. The Food and Drug Administration is a government run entity. Much like the CIA, but for your health. If you do some digging, around that time, the FDA decided to put a lot of dangerous chemicals in cigarettes that would make them go out faster, to make them less of a fire hazard. Cigarettes today go out pretty much immediately after you stop hitting them. Those same chemicals can be found in carpet glue and a lot of other dangerous stuff. The studies done from inhaling them are really bad. In my opinion, I think that cigarettes were a lot healthier before the FDA got their hands on them.”

This hypocrisy has to be addressed. How can the FDA add toxic chemicals to cigarettes, yet claim that products exponentially healthier than cigarettes should be banned?

“Their attack on the vape industry is very clear. There’s not a shop in town that’s not worried about what’s going to happen in the next two years. But, I think there are enough people behind this industry to take it to the Supreme Court. In my personal opinion, I think it’s an attack on public health and local businesses.”

When I asked Trace flat out if he thought these regulations would stifle the American Dream, he didn’t hesitate. “Yes. It would really make me want to move away from this country because, if it really does happen and I have to shut down and close my doors, and I thought it would be a good idea to open up a store and be an entrepreneur, and then the FDA just says ‘no’ because they can, then that’s just not the American Dream that we all grew up to believe in.” According to Trace, restrictive regulations designed to shut down entrepreneurs are nothing new.

“There used to be more tobacco farms too, and the regulations got more strict, and they couldn’t afford it, and they either had to give up or switch to something else. It would really crush my viewpoints on this country if I have to shut down over something that we all know is safer and more sensible to use than traditional tobacco cigarettes. “

I asked him what regulations he thought should be in places for the vaping industry. “I think the regulations should be that you have a clean lab when you mix juice” he said. “

Onsite, or offsite, it needs to be iso certified. They didn’t put any emphasis on the cleanliness or quality of the labs in their regulations. Also, I believe you should be 18 or older to purchase these products. They’re used to either help you stop smoking or offer a healthier alternative to smoking. If you’re offered either or, you might chose vaping”.

This is a great point to bring up because if young people who have just turned 18 choose vaping first before ever trying a cigarette, if offered the choice, it could greatly reduce the number of future smokers in the world.

“I also think that there should be some sort of way to make donations to St. Jude’s or other victims of cancer and lung cancer. You see all of these ads that ask you to donate to cancer research to help smokers. I think that some of our revenue should go into public health.”

This surprised me because I would argue that the FDA or the Tobacco industry should fund these humanitarian causes. But Trace sees a brighter vision of the future, one where vaping thrives, smoking-caused cancer is basically eliminated, and the proceeds from this lucrative and life-saving industry are given back to cancer patients.

“They’re saying you have to pay a fee now to try the flavors, so 25 cents every time someone tries a sample. Why can’t that go to some kind of organization that helps people? Why can’t it be donated? One of the regulations states that the money can’t be donated. It has to be for-profit. I just thought it was a little weird that they told me what I can and can’t do with my money.”

One question that began to weigh on my mind was: will these new regulations be directly responsible for cigarette caused deaths? So, I asked Trace.

“In a way. I don’t want to say that it would, but say I was wanting to vape two years from now and they can only sell me a cigalite, and I go home and they didn’t tell me how to use it, because they’re not allowed to, and I try to quite smoking and it doesn’t work. I go back to cigarettes. Five years down the road, I get cancer. I do believe, in essence, yes. Those regulations would be responsible for me giving me cancer in that situation.”

All of this news is very troubling to me. What can I do? What could people in Shreveport do? Fortunately, there is an answer.

“Everyone that wants to support our cause and help us needs to support HR2058 and contact their local representatives. HR2058 will change the predicate date, which was August 8, 2007, to August 8, 2016, so that everything made after that date will be banned instead of 7 years before that.

Tell them you’re for the Cole Bishop amendment and that they need to be too.You can also go to CASAA.org. It will bring you to a link to sign this petition. You can write out a personal message as well about how vaping either changed your life or helped you quit, or helped your friend start a business, or whatever. The positive effects on the economy would also be in the interests of the representative who reads it. In a way, the amendment is our lifeline. If that doesn’t go through, then we’re pretty much going down.”

That, dear readers, would be a terrible shame indeed.

-Visit Bear Ohm-

-Tell Congress to support HR 2058-

-CASAA-