New E-cigarette shop opens in downtown Fargo

Fargo, ND (WDAY TV) – A new store opening to customers Friday on Broadway in Fargo hopes to tap into the growing business of electronic cigarettes.
E-cigarette sales hit the $500 million mark in 2012, and with that number expected to triple, Infinite Vapor hopes to get a piece of that $1.7 billion pie.
Kelsey Eaton- Manager, Infinite Vapor: “E-Cigarettes are a different way; an alternative to quitting smoking.
Cody Fruehling- First Infinite Vapor Customer: “Yeah, I’m addicted to the nicotine, but I’m also addicted to the feeling of smoking and that’s what the vapor offers.”
The E-cigarettes use flavored nicotine liquid to produce vapor that is then inhaled; therefore, no tobacco or tar is present.
Eaton: “A, they taste good, and B, they don’t smell, so you’re not smelly and it’s not all over your stuff and your hands don’t reek.”
With liquid flavors like banana and yummy gummy, public officials are concerned that E-cigarettes are catering to a younger crowd.
Robyn Litke Sall- Tobacco Prevention Coordinator, Fargo Public Health: “Sounds to me more like frozen yogurt flavor than it does E-cigarette flavor, so I really would strongly caution parents that this could be very attractive to their youth.”
With zero FDA regulation, E-cigarettes are allowed to be sold to minors, but Infinite Vapor manager Kelsey Eaton says they are taking the moral high ground.
Eaton: “We treat it just the same as any tobacco or nicotine product as in we take IDs. We don’t sell to anyone under 18.”
And just like traditional tobacco, E-cigarettes are banned in public places in North Dakota, while Minnesota still allows them.
The FDA is expected to place regulations on E-cigarettes in the near future.
http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/90738/