Turning over a new leaf: Vape shop closings, openings and transitions in six U.S. Metropolitan statistical areas

Abstract

This study characterizes vape shop closings, openings, and changes in product mix in six U.S. metropolitan statistical areas with different tobacco and marijuana policies. With concern for higher rates of marijuana use among those who vape nicotine, the presence of marijuana-related terms in store names was also assessed. A census of stores that were classified online as vape shops/stores or vaporizer stores were telephoned in April-May 2018 (n = 739) and July-September 2019 (n = 919) to verify whether vape products and other tobacco products (OTP) were sold. We computed the percent of stores that closed, opened, and started/stopped selling OTP. Multilevel models tested whether these events varied by store type and by neighborhood demographics. Within 16 months, 11.5% of 739 stores had closed and 29.8% of 919 stores at follow-up had opened. Closings were more likely among vape-only than vape + OTP stores (AOR = 2.51, 95% CI = 1.47,4.29); vape-only stores were less likely to open (AOR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.34,0.62). Regardless of store type, the odds of a store opening increased as the proportion of non-Hispanic/Latino White residents in the census tract increased (AOR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.18,1.85). Overall, 2.0% of stores (vape-only and vape + OTP) had marijuana-related names at baseline and 3.5% at follow-up. The observed change (1.6% to 5.8%) was greatest in Oklahoma City, where the state legalized medical marijuana between baseline and follow-up. More stores were opening than closing in six U.S. metropolitan statistical areas before statewide sales restrictions on flavored tobacco and COVID-19. Uniform licensing is recommended to define vape shops and track their location and sales practices.

The Impact of Recent Tobacco Regulations and COVID-19 Restrictions and Implications for Future E-Cigarette Retail: Perspectives from Vape and Vape-and-Smoke Shop Merchants

“…These data from a 2021 survey of 60 vape and vape-and-smoke shop owners and managers in six US MSAs indicated that federal policies and COVID-19-related orders were perceived to be somewhat easy to understand and implement, despite prior findings indicating noncompliance [ 23 , 32 , 33 ], and current findings indicating limited knowledge of relevant state and/or local T21 and flavored e-cigarette sales restrictions. Moreover, in response to increasing restrictions on e-cigarettes, vape retailers are expanding their product offerings, particularly to CBD products (as noted previously [ 32 , 34 , 43 ]), and are also increasing their online marketing, which reflects a global trend toward online e-cigarette marketing and sales [ 4 , 5 ]. These findings are critical to informing future surveillance of the e-cigarette retail environment, consumer behavior, and regulatory compliance.…”

“…The parent study, detailed elsewhere [ 23 , 34 , 42 , 43 , 44 ], was approved by the Emory University Institutional Review Board. This study focuses on 6 MSAs (Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; San Diego, California; Seattle, Washington), selected based on the differences in state policy and retail markets for tobacco and cannabis.…”

“…The current study analyzes data from surveys of owners or managers conducted in May–September 2021. To provide the sampling frame for this survey study, first, we conducted application program interface (API) queries (using HTTP requests to access and use data) via Yelp Graph QL for stores classified as “vape shops,” and Google Maps for stores classified as “vaporizer store”, “vape shop”, and “vape store” [ 32 , 34 , 44 ], as conducted in our prior research [ 34 ]. After an initial round of data cleaning and geocoding the stores to the 6 MSAs, phone calls ( n = 1718) were made in May–September 2021 to verify that retailers sold e-cigarettes (i.e., devices and/or e-liquids) and were open for business [ 32 , 34 , 44 ].…”

“…To provide the sampling frame for this survey study, first, we conducted application program interface (API) queries (using HTTP requests to access and use data) via Yelp Graph QL for stores classified as “vape shops,” and Google Maps for stores classified as “vaporizer store”, “vape shop”, and “vape store” [ 32 , 34 , 44 ], as conducted in our prior research [ 34 ]. After an initial round of data cleaning and geocoding the stores to the 6 MSAs, phone calls ( n = 1718) were made in May–September 2021 to verify that retailers sold e-cigarettes (i.e., devices and/or e-liquids) and were open for business [ 32 , 34 , 44 ]. Completed phone calls of open vape retailers ( n = 965, completion rate = 56.2%) culminated with invitations to owners and managers to complete a self-administered online survey for an incentive of a USD 35 Amazon e-gift card.…”

“…As the nicotine marketplace has evolved and key regulations have gone into effect that may substantially impact the vape retail environment and product use [ 34 ], understanding merchants’ perspectives regarding such regulations may have important implications for regulatory efforts [ 35 ]. For example, prior research involving vape retail merchants has provided unique insights into their marketing strategies [ 36 , 37 , 38 ], as well as into their concerns that policies are not distinguishing e-cigarettes from traditional tobacco (e.g., cigarettes) [ 39 , 40 , 41 ] and/or not taking into account the impact on the potential harm reduction that could result from using e-cigarettes [ 37 , 38 , 40 ].…”