While the CDC has released that 77% of cases regarding vaping-related illness have been linked to THC containing products, the discussion on e-cigarettes continues to unfold. One of the main topics being explored is the upward trends in youth vaping culture. Dave Bryan, CEO of the Ontario Convenience Store Association (OCSA), agrees that advertising of the products has played a role.
“Many are right [and] I think it’s been a bit overdone by the industry itself in our stores.”
Bryan went on to say that he believes that there is a place for a safer alternative to smoking in convenience stores, but that promotion of the availability of the product could be handled in a more tactful way.
He went on to say that convenience stores have long been the purveyors of age-restricted products, making them a good avenue for legal aged people to acquire vaping products. He says that convenience stores pass 96% of all underage shopper tests conducted by public health agencies across Ontario.
Bryan also believes that the rise of youth vaping can be tied to the ease of purchasing vaping products online without any regulation stopping young people from acquiring them.
“Any child today can go online and say you’re 18 and [purchase from] one of these worldwide deliveries to a house within two days with no regulations. Young people don’t get vaping products from a local convenience store or we would’ve been boarded up long ago.”
One London vape store owner has his own, self-described “common sense” ideas for how this could be handled. Lars Van Kessel, owner of ‘It’s Not Smoke, It’s Just Vapour’ on Dundas, shared his thoughts on additional regulation in convenience stores.
“Perhaps they could have a little catalogue behind the counter and have a small sign that says vapes are sold here. Ask for a catalogue and then when they present I.D. to show that they’re 19 they would be able to see the catalogue and see what products are available.”
Van Kessel went on to say that he believes there should be a cap on the amount of nicotine in the products available at convenience stores as he does not think that products containing high amounts of nicotine are safe to be sold by people who are unable to educate consumers on their intended uses.
When these points were brought up to Bryan, he responded negatively.
“Vape stores have no rights to actually tell convenience stores how to operate.”
Bryan’s reasoning is that vape stores have been operating under no regulations and he claims they have been operating illegally. He also stated that he believes vape stores to be trying to limit competition from convenience stores to hold more of the market.
