It’s no secret that the vaping industry has been soaring in the last several years, with vape pens now being endorsed by celebrities and vape shops opening up in every shitty, decrepit strip mall in America. But how much bigger can it get?
According to REJounals.com, the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association expects the E-Cig industry to be worth an astounding $10 Billion by 2017. With an estimated 3,500 vape shops currently located across the country, it seems like finding a vape shop will be about as easy as finding a Starbucks in Manhattan: one on every corner. This news will seem like a godsend to the countless people who have used vaping as a method to successfully quit smoking. A bigger vape industry means more e-cigarette options and more e-juice flavors, and the competition should help to keep prices down.
Of course, it’s beginning to seem unlikely that the government will let a good thing keep going without taking their cut. Recent legislation in Indiana would treat vaporizers as tobacco products (Because they’re kinda sorta the same shape as cigarettes! I know, it doesn’t have to make sense), increasing the wholesale tax to 24%. Other states will likely follow suit once they realize how much money they are missing out on in this largely unregulated industry.
But for now, business is booming. Especially for the independent vape shops that have helped revive ailing strip malls by bringing in much needed business.
