E-cigarette industry touches down in Moses Lake
Customers "vape" inside First Class Vapor in Moses Lake. Shop owner Shawn McNeely said a new group of vapers are on the rise, social vapers, who differ from the typical user who has turned to electronic cigarettes as a way to quit smoking traditional cigarettes.
MOSES LAKE - Larissa Castillo hasn't picked up a cigarette in months.
She and her husband Michael decided they needed to quit smoking for the sake of their infant daughter in January. It wasn't the couple's first time trying to kick the habit, so they weren't sure how successful they would be at the time, she said.
"We had tried and tried to quit smoking before, but we kept slipping back," said Castillo.
But much to their surprise, the Castillos haven't purchased a single pack of cigarettes since their decision to quit.
The reason?
Castillo said it's because they've switched from smoking traditional cigarettes to using electronic cigarettes.
"We started this in January and it's actually really, really worked," she said. "This is the first time we were able to quit without going back to cigarettes."
It's a story that's been playing out across the country for the past few years, as more and more people are turning to e-cigarettes as an alternative to smoking.
E-cigarettes are devices designed to deliver nicotine to a user in the form of a vapor. They are usually composed of a rechargeable, battery-operated heating element; a replaceable cartridge and an atomizer that when heated, converts the contents of the cartridge into a vapor.
The vapor is then inhaled by the user.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 21 percent of adults who smoke traditional cigarettes reported using e-cigarettes in 2011. In 2010 though, only 10 percent of adult smokers reported using e-cigarettes.
Awareness of e-cigarettes rose from about four in 10 adults in 2010 to six in 10 adults in 2011, according to the CDC. They released these figures in a 2013 report, noting that their study was the first to report changes in awareness and use of e-cigarettes between 2010 and 2011.
Figures from the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association also showed that sales of e-cigarettes had jumped from 50,000 units in 2008 to 3.5 million units as of September 2012. At the time, the group had estimated sales to reach 5 million units by the end of that year.
And as interest in the e-cigarette industry increased, so did the demand for e-cigarettes and related supplies. Castillo said she and her husband used to live in Spokane and saw the rise of specialty e-cigarette shops there.
"There's about 19 different stores over there now," she said. "Three to four years ago there wasn't anything, maybe on the East Coast but not out in this region."
But that has since changed, as the e-cigarette industry is now thriving in large, urban areas throughout the region. And like other movements, it is starting to spread from cities to smaller communities - including Moses Lake.
The Castillos opened their e-cigarette shop in the city about two weeks ago. They join First Class Vapor, which also opened in Moses Lake earlier this month.
Owner Shawn McNeely said he was also a former smoker who turned to e-cigarettes as an alternative.
"This was able to help me quit smoking, and I lost 16 pounds at the same time," he said. "I can breathe better and I have more energy and better focus."
McNeely said it's something you'll hear a lot of former smokers turned e-cigarette users say. He said e-cigarettes aren't technically considered a smoking cessation product, but they are a healthier and cheaper alternative to traditional cigarettes that people wanting to quit smoking can consider.
Michelle Nicholson, who runs the shop with McNeely, said e-cigarettes don't just benefit smokers, but non-smokers as well.
"I can't be around cigarettes or cigarette smoke at all," she said. "With e-cigarettes there's no second-hand smoke."
Castillo said some studies do show that there are traces of nicotine in the vapor that comes out of an e-cigarette, but that it's a very minute amount.
"The only negative thing studies say is that nicotine is still a carcinogen and there is still some of it in the vapor, but it's a tenth of what's in normal second-hand smoke," she said.
McNeely said since e-cigarettes are still fairly new, many people are apprehensive when they see people using them in public. There are currently no rules banning the use of them in Washington, he said.
New Jersey was the first state to ban the use of e-cigarettes in public places in 2010. Utah and North Dakota, as well as major cities including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Philadelphia have since followed suit.
But you can "vape" pretty much anywhere in Washington, said McNeely.
"I was doing it in city hall when I got my business license," he said.
Castillo said she hopes Washington doesn't place bans on e-cigarette use in public places. Private business do have a right to ban their use, but she hopes they don't go that route either.
"It's one of the cool things about e-cigarettes, that as long as you're somewhere it's not appropriate to do it, you can do it," she said.
Castillo said putting the same restrictions on e-cigarettes that are already on traditional cigarettes could be counterproductive.
"Hopefully they realize that doing so would be deterring to people and they should be supporting people who want to make better choices," she said. "They tell people not to smoke and put a stigma on it, and here is a better alternative."
She said she does support U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations on e-cigarette products however, especially when it comes to e-juices.
Vapor Castle carries about 16 varieties of flavored e-juice with varying levels of nicotine in them. They get their product from an Idaho manufacturer, she said.
"Right now, there are no regulations," she said. "I could be putting whatever I want to in these and selling them to people."
Manufactures should be required to follow some regulations as a benefit to the end user, said Castillo. The e-juice should come from someone who knows what they're doing and who uses top-grade equipment to produce their product, she said.
McNeely said it's also important for him to provide his customers with quality e-juices. His shop carries about 33 varieties right now, and they come from a Bellevue supplier.
"We went out to see where it's made and what kind of people they are," he said. "I would want to know where it came from and how its made."
The FDA released a set of proposed e-cigarette regulations this week. Their proposed guidelines would require manufacturers to register all their products and ingredients with the agency.
In addition, they would only be able to market new products after an FDA review and companies would no longer be able to offer free samples.
They would also set minimum age and identification restrictions to prevent sales to underage youth.
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