LOUISIANA, USA — A new ban on the sale of popular vape products has some people feeling desperate.
“I will drive to Mississippi,” One vaper said. “If they ban it I will drive to Alabama, if they ban it I will drive to Florida. One way or another we're going to get the vape.”
This comes after Louisiana released approved products stores are allowed to sell. Some of the popular disposable vapes and fruit flavored vapes didn't make the list and can no longer be sold in the state. But vapers aren't the only ones upset. Smoke Som Co-owner Adham Abdelkader says he may lose between 60-70% of his inventory.
“This is what we based our whole business on the past four years,” Abdelkader said. “You know what I mean? Vapes, tobacco products, nicotine vapes. I get all my friends dm’ing me. What are you going to do? Every customer walks in, asking what I’m going to do with the vapes.”
Some stores are taking advantage of the new restrictions and selling their stock anyway, but at a higher price.
“Right now we're just selling it,” he said. “We've pulled up the price a few days ago just because it's become a premium because a lot of people have taken it off the shelves."
Other shops are selling the products at a discount to get them out the door.
"We're doing a lot more better deals than we usually do,” Vape and More Manager Gabrielle Poshe said. “Pushing things out the door. But that's all we've got right now.”
Other stores are playing it safe.
“We had to clear the entire back shelf of vapes just this morning because we were going to stay within compliance,” Vape and Smoke Paradise Manager Kelcey Johnson said.
The list of approved vapor nicotine products and e-cigarettes will be updated on the ATC’s website on the first of each month.
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