SEATTLE — At least 377 businesses have discontinued their licenses for vaping products since Washington’s temporary ban on flavored vaping products went into effect in October, according to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board.
About half of the businesses are stores like Rite AID and Bartell Drugs. The other half are smaller businesses that have closed up shop because flavored vape products were such a big part of their inventory.
Matt Bradley, who was featured on the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch, owns Sky Vapor in Everett. He hopes Governor Jay Inslee lifts the ban in February.
Bradley has already closed one of his three vape shops due to the ban. He said if the ban isn’t lifted, his other two stores will close down too.
"I hope that Inslee lifts the ban and we go back to business as usual, and they see this ploy was useless. But he doesn’t lift the ban they got what they wanted, they picked us all off,” Bradley said.
KING 5 reached out to the Governor’s office for comment but have not heard back.
The department of health said the vaping rule is necessary because it's a public health emergency.
