As lawmakers in the Montana city of Missoula consider an update to their smoking ordinance that would include language for vaping, effectively banning its use in indoor public spaces, a couple of vape shop owners in the city are fighting for the right to allow their customers to vape indoors and the reason may surprise you.
The owners of the two vape shops, Liberty Vapor Smoke and Ecig Vapor Juice, want their customers to be allowed to vape indoors, or more specifically, inside of their vape shops. As for why, Ecig Vapor Juice owner Keith Bowman explained that in-store testing is not only essential to his business, it’s also “the main way” that first-time vape customers figure out whether vaping is going to be something that they can use to quit smoking cigarettes.
“Vapor is not the same as your traditional cigarette and should not be treated as such. (Testing in store) is the main way of figuring out if that is something they can use to get off cigarettes.”
Notably, many customers enjoy the freedom to test vape juices inside of the vape shops from which they purchase them. This allows them to determine whether or not a particular blend fits well with their own personal preference.
Fortunately for the two vape shops, Ward 3 representative Heather Harp has not only listened to their concerns, she’s gone as far as to propose an exemption for vape shops under the new smoking and vaping ordinance that would allow for vape use inside of the city’s vape shops.
As vape shops are technically licensed as tobacco shops in the state of Montana, Harp suggested that only stores strictly selling vaping products qualify for the exemption.
Missoula would find itself the eighth county in the state to have passed at least one city-wide ban on indoor vape use if the proposed ordinance is approved. Notably, none of the other counties have made any exemptions for vape shops.
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