Kentucky vaping industry leader says demise of business is well underway

A prominent leader in the retail vaping industry in Kentucky says businesses statewide are in decline. A new law impacting the vast majority of vape product outlets goes into effect this January.

Tony Florence owns six vape stores in Kentucky and a manufacturing facility. He said his father died from lung cancer and his interest in the business has been to provide an avenue to help people quit smoking cigarettes. Florence said open-system vaping devices can work to that end.

“If it got to the point where 20 years from now I went out of business because they’re were no more people smoking and no more people vaping, mission accomplished. I’m good with that,” said Florence.

But Florence predicts a vast majority of vape shops in Kentucky will be closing in the months ahead. He said HB 11, passed earlier this year, limits legal sales to relatively few products. Florence said disposable vape devices often do have higher nicotine levels, which can foster continued use.

Florence said he’s seen a trend since April when lawmakers passed the legislation.

“More and more stores just going out of business. They are not renewing leases. I mean from a manufacturing- distribution standpoint, I’m down 80 percent since April. Because stores are just…they’re either not buying new product because they’re selling off the old or they’re going out of business,” said Florence.

Florence said some stores may opt to become a hybrid business selling other items along with the few Federal Drug Administration-approved vapes. The veteran vape store owner noted the penalties under the new law are sizeable and so that’s likely to cause many doors to close by January first. Florence added the Royal College of Physicians in England is similar to public health in the U.S. He said it backs vaping as the method of choice to help people stop smoking. Florence said vaping is far less harmful than combustible cigarettes.

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