At Ecigs International, we’re a local provider of vape supplies for the Philadelphia area as well as a national e-juice company. 2016 was a big year for us and the world of vaping. As e-cigarettes continue to grow in adoption and market share, there is little doubt that the history of these products will be studied by future generations (perhaps by economists or entrepreneurs) and the past year will be one that lives on in infamy.
Why?
Vaping, by all accounts, was a technology that began to see palpable adoption in 2007. Initially growing slowly because of lackluster products, as affordability and efficiency increased a boom began around 2012 that saw a major uptick in vapers. By the end of 2015, vaping was in the news, the subject of numerous Youtube videos and a rampant subject of debate on social media.
Vaping was, at first, a new technology that was disproportionately used by young people between the ages of 18-35. By the dawn of 2016, the demographics of use had evened out and it seemed that every single group of people was represented in the community. While this was and is a good thing, it meant an increased profile in the public eye.
The increased profile brought the attention of the government which was brought to the stunning realization that what had been a once small electronics industry, thought to be a fad, had become a transformative technology that more and more people were picking up. States and representatives decided that it was time to, without further research, heavily regulate and even more heavily tax this industry.
This blatant attempt to suck up as much tax revenue as possible from primarily small businesses did not sit well with the community and saw progressive e-cigarette organizations begin to take up the issue with the government.
ICYMI in 2016:
- Duncan “The Vaping Congressman” Hunter blew vapor clouds across a government meeting room during a meeting to prove that the technology posed no danger on February, 11th.
- On August 8th, the FDA deeming regulations went into effect causing hardships for vape store owners and limiting the degree to which they can help their customers.
- In late August, Pennsylvania announced a 40% sin tax on all e-cigs and vaping technology, costing business owners in the state untold millions.
- Throughout the year, Hawaii along with 200 other local municipalities raised the age of smoking and vaping to 21. A particularly curious move given that the federal drinking age was raised to 21 in the 1960s and smoking has been known to be more damaging to long term health since at least that time.
At Ecigs International, we’ll be curious to see what 2017 holds. To learn more about our wholesale e-cig liquid or our retail locations, visit ecigsinternational.com/.
