Tennessee senators are preparing to vote on a registry bill that vape shop owners fear could drastically reduce the selection of products they can legally sell, potentially devastating their businesses.
Denise McIntyre, director of Merchandising at Chattanooga Vapor Co., said the vaping products in her shop not only helped her quit smoking but have also provided an alternative for many of her customers looking to do the same. Now, both her livelihood and those products are in jeopardy.
“Discouraged, scared, worried,” McIntyre said, describing her emotions ahead of Monday’s vote.
State Senator Ken Yager, who is sponsoring the bill, argues that the measure is designed to curb youth vaping. However, industry representatives question its effectiveness.
Danny Gillis, with the Tennessee Smoke Free Association, agrees with findings from a Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) study that suggests the bill may not prevent minors from accessing vape products.
“We’re trying to hold them back and say, ‘Wait a minute, there are adults in this state that vape,’” Gillis said. “Instead of using a scalpel, they’re using a butcher knife, and they’re just cutting the whole industry off.”
Some lawmakers who oppose the legislation also expressed concerns about its impact, citing the TACIR study’s recommendations. “I think what we’re doing in this bill comes closer to fixing the problem, with respect to the TACIR recommendation,” Yager countered.
Senate Bill 763 would impose restrictions on which products vape stores can sell and mandate that they be listed on a state registry. “The problem is the only products that are available are 34 authorized products and maybe a few that are in litigation with the FDA,” Gillis explained.
Among those 34 FDA-approved products, McIntyre noted that none include the flavors her customers prefer. “If they lose access to that, they’re gonna have to cross state lines, go back to smoking cigarettes, or go on the black market and get potentially harmful products,” she warned.
For vape stores, removing most products from shelves could mean shutting down entirely. “If you are McDonald’s and you’re only allowed to sell french fries, you’re not going to be open,” Gillis told News29.
For shop owners and employees like McIntyre, the bill introduces significant uncertainty. “We have a mortgage, a home mortgage,” she said. “We have two boys. We have car payments.”
With livelihoods and consumer choice on the line, vape shop owners are bracing for the outcome of the Senate vote, hoping lawmakers will consider the broader implications of the legislation.
