Mike Chroma stood behind a glass counter displaying batteries, small tanks and mouthpiece-shaped drip atomizers — all parts to electronic cigarettes. He walked to the back counter to answer a ringing phone under a line of shelves containing various e-liquids.
“Pittsburgh Vape Lounge,” he said, playfully drawing out the “i.”
Vaping and vape shops have been spreading throughout the Pittsburgh area over the past two years as the popularity of electronic cigarettes has gained traction since being introduced to the U.S. market in the late-2000s. Many consider it a safer — and more acceptable — alternative to tobacco products.
E-cigarettes also are used as a way to quit smoking tobacco. Vapers — as those who use e-cigarettes are called — tend to stick with the new activity, some as a hobby, others as a lifestyle. And vaping has become so popular here that Pittsburgh has attracted its first Vaping Convention Circuit, which will be held Saturday and Sunday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. The event is free and open to the public from noon to 6 p.m. Visitors must be 18 or older.
“[Vaping] is as simple or as complex as you want it to be,” Mr. Chroma explained as he took pieces out of the glass case in his Brookline shop.
For those who think building a “mod” — a modified e-cigarette used by more experienced vapers — from the individual parts sold at the shop is overwhelming, there are starter kits that include an e-cigarette, complete with tank and battery, and a charger. All that’s left is to choose a flavor of e-liquid, or “juice,” from the more than 200 options available in the shop with names such as “Unicorn Milk,” “Star Drops,” “Strawberry” and “Rich Tobacco.”
“Thirty-one dollars and three cents is how little it costs you to vape,” Mr. Chroma declared, double-checking the total cost, including tax, on the cash register.
Another way to look at it: $31.03 is how little it costs to quit smoking. Both Mr. Chroma and Kevin Skipper, owner and founder of the Vaping Convention Circuit headquartered in Tampa, Fla., were former smokers who quit once they started vaping.
It’s a story that many vapers have and want to share, even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved any e-cigarette for smoking-cessation therapy as it has nicotine patches.
Mr. Skipper is also what is called a “tobacco harm reduction” advocate. He, along with many others in the vaping community, emphasize the difference between vaping and smoking tobacco. E-cigarettes’ key ingredients are atomized vapors — propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin — and are generally considered safe in food, but research is lacking on whether they are safe to inhale for the long haul. The flavoring juices may contain various concentrations of nicotine. The battery-powered device turns nicotine, flavorings and other chemicals into a vapor that can be inhaled.
The convention will offer advocacy sessions, nonprofit raffles, battery safety classes and vendor booths.
“And you can’t leave out competitive exhaling!” joked Pittsburgh Vape Lounge regular Glen Eckroat of Brookline. He attributed the term for the vapor cloud-blowing contest to friend and vaper John Derzic. Mr. Derzic of Pittsburgh is sponsored by vaping companies to represent them during the competition.
Vaping will be allowed inside the convention center, although attendees will have to go outside to smoke traditional cigarettes.
Vaping indoors is legal everywhere in Pennsylvania except for Philadelphia, which banned it indoors last year. Still, many vapers use the “don’t be a jerk” rule when it comes to using e-cigarettes. “Yeah, people in a restaurant don’t want to smell your Froot Loops when they’re eating dinner,” Mr. Eckroat said.
There also are no regulations enforcing a minimum age to buy e-cigarettes, which has caused some concern that the vaping industry is attempting to market to children. Mr. Skipper addresses those worries by enforcing a 18-and-older policy for the convention.
Vape shops, which sometime include a bar or lounge where people gather to vape, largely self-regulate. Many of the shops’ websites require users to click an agreement that they are older than 18 before entering, and some shops require customers to produce a photo ID to purchase products.
Stores like Pittsburgh Vape Loungesuch as well as Villain Vape Shops in Cheswick and Lawrenceville aim to educate customers about the ins and outs of vaping.
Vapers “are a very close-knit community of people who understand the struggle to stop using combustible tobacco, a very supportive community,” Mr. Skipper said. “It’s almost like an extended family.”
Source: http://www.post-gazette.com
No comments:
Post a Comment