A gap in the state ban on all flavored vaping products allows the sale of any flavored vape juice on tribal land. But some tribes tell KIRO-7 they are voluntarily banning the sale of the vaping products in their smoke shops.
Stores which sold flavored vaping products until the ban were still explaining the ban to some of their customers on Friday, after the ban went into effect Thursday.
T-Courteau, who manages Bellevue's Hot Box Smoke Shop said she pulled 500 bottles of flavored vape juice from the store's shelves.
Governor Inslee's emergency 120-day ban on flavored vaping products--that he says were aimed at children--triggered the closure of many vape shops all over the state.
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"It does affect me personally," Courteau said. "I've been vaping for probably six years since I quit smoking cigarettes and it helped change my life.''
Courteau said the gap in the law, allowing the sale of flavored vape juice on tribal lands would likely mean a large boost in business for the tribes.
"They're going to see an influx of our customers and a lot of revenue because of this," Courteau said. They're going to make a lot of money, because people are going to go to tribal land to buy their juice."
The Tulalip Tribe smoke shop told us they're still selling flavored vape products on tribal land on Friday.
But the Snoqualmie Tribe decided to voluntarily pull flavored vape off the shelves. The tribal smoke shop will only sell tobacco-flavored vape while the state ban is in effect.
The Puyallup Tribal Council just voted a 100-day ban on the sale of all flavored vape products on tribal land. Tribal chairman David Z. Bean wrote, "We need to get to the bottom of these illnesses. The health of our membership and the surrounding community is too important to overlook."
Back at Bellevue's Hot Box, T Courteau pointed at the unflavored vape still for sale--which she believes most vaping customers will avoid--and believes the ban could reveal more unintended consequences.
"There's going to end up being a black market for vape juice," she said. "People are going to buy ingredients themselves and make it at home. All of our stuff was lab-tested, so we know it's safe, but the stuff that's going to end up popping up for sale, the customers and the people who vape don't know whether it's going to be safe."
Below is KIRO7's previous coverage on vaping related illnesses:
Cox Media Group
