Mississippi vape shops are rushing to sell non-FDA-approved vapes and cigarettes before a statewide ban takes effect next week, causing frustration among business owners and customers. Byram Tobacco and Vape is working to clear certain inventory from its shelves by December 1st, the deadline for removing vapes and cigarettes not approved by the FDA. Yahya Ali, the manager of Byram Tobacco and Vape, said, “It’s really our business. Vapes is what got us here and why we really sell out here. That’s the only things we get money out of, really.”The decision to implement the ban was made by state legislators earlier this year with House Bill 916. Ali noted that the ban will be challenging for his father’s business, which opened six months ago. “It’s really hard to process it, and my father is going to lose a lot, like a lot, so it’s really hurtful,” said Ali.Mississippi resident Tremeka expressed her dissatisfaction, saying, “I’m not very happy about it, I’ll have to cross over to Memphis.” Customers are irritated by the prospect of having to travel to surrounding states to purchase products due to limited options in Mississippi. Tremeka, who visits vape shops every two weeks, questioned the state’s priorities, saying, “I just don’t understand why they are trying to control this while there are other things out there that they could be controlling.”Ali mentioned that the store has thousands of dollars worth of vapes in stock. The Mississippi Department of Revenue has stated that businesses still selling unapproved items by December 1 will face fines, with the first violation resulting in a penalty of $500 per product per day. Only vape products approved by the FDA will be allowed for sale, and they will only be available in tobacco or menthol flavors.Businesses had a 60-day grace period to make adjustments before Dec. 1.
Mississippi vape shops are rushing to sell non-FDA-approved vapes and cigarettes before a statewide ban takes effect next week, causing frustration among business owners and customers.
Byram Tobacco and Vape is working to clear certain inventory from its shelves by December 1st, the deadline for removing vapes and cigarettes not approved by the FDA.
Yahya Ali, the manager of Byram Tobacco and Vape, said, “It’s really our business. Vapes is what got us here and why we really sell out here. That’s the only things we get money out of, really.”
The decision to implement the ban was made by state legislators earlier this year with House Bill 916. Ali noted that the ban will be challenging for his father’s business, which opened six months ago.
“It’s really hard to process it, and my father is going to lose a lot, like a lot, so it’s really hurtful,” said Ali.
Mississippi resident Tremeka expressed her dissatisfaction, saying, “I’m not very happy about it, I’ll have to cross over to Memphis.” Customers are irritated by the prospect of having to travel to surrounding states to purchase products due to limited options in Mississippi.
Tremeka, who visits vape shops every two weeks, questioned the state’s priorities, saying, “I just don’t understand why they are trying to control this while there are other things out there that they could be controlling.”
Ali mentioned that the store has thousands of dollars worth of vapes in stock. The Mississippi Department of Revenue has stated that businesses still selling unapproved items by December 1 will face fines, with the first violation resulting in a penalty of $500 per product per day.
Only vape products approved by the FDA will be allowed for sale, and they will only be available in tobacco or menthol flavors.
Businesses had a 60-day grace period to make adjustments before Dec. 1.
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