The paper looks at how the stores that sell e-cigarettes are changing. At first, there were a lot of “vape shops” that only sold e-cigarettes. But now, many of these stores are becoming “smoke shops” that sell other tobacco products, cannabis products, and some unregulated products like kratom. This is concerning for a few reasons. First, it means people who are trying to quit smoking by using e-cigarettes may be exposed to a lot of other products that could make it harder for them to quit. Second, some of these unregulated products like kratom could be unsafe for some people. The paper says we need to keep watching how these stores are changing and how it affects people’s health.
Key takeaways:
- E-cigarette retail is evolving, with many “vape shops” becoming “smoke shops” that sell a variety of products.
- This diversification of products in e-cigarette retail settings could undermine smoking cessation efforts.
- Consumers are being exposed to unregulated products like kratom in these retail settings.
- Ongoing surveillance of the e-cigarette retail environment is needed to understand the public health impact.
For further reading:
Link: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/14/8518
Full Citation:
Berg, C.J.; Melena, A.;Wittman, F.D.; Robles, T.; Henriksen,L. The Reshaping of the E-CigaretteRetail
Environment: Its Evolutionand Public Health Concerns. Int. J.Environ. Res. Public Health 2022,
19,8518