FEATURE
the importance of
vape
shops
and where
we go next
A STUDY REVEALS WHY WE SHOULD NEVER TAKE VAPE SHOPS
FOR GRANTED WHEN IT COMES TO PROPER SMOKING CESSATION
BY LEO FORFAR
A Cancer Research UK-funded study has displayed the
essential role vape shops play in helping smokers make
a more permanent change from smoking to e-cigarettes. The
paper is titled, “A Qualitative Exploration of the Role of Vape
Shop Environments in Su pporting Smoking Abstinence.”
It comes to us via research conducted at the University
of East Anglia and was headed by Dr Emma Ward, Senior
Research Associate in Norwich Medical School and a member
of the UEA Addiction Research group on smoking relapse
prevention studies.
Forty people who had switched from smoking to vaping
were interviewed for the study and quizzed about their
experience of support via vape shops. Researchers also
surveyed six vape shops throughout the country, closely
monitoring interactions between staff and customers – be
they curious smokers or vaping regulars trying to stay off
the habit.
A su m m at ion of t h e re s u l ts i n th e o p e n i n g a b stract
described a positive correlation between a supportive
environment and persistence in smoking cessation.
“At an individual level, smoking abstinence was supported
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through shop assistants’ attempts to understand customers’
smoking preferences in order to: (i) tailor advice about the most
appropriate product; and (ii) offer an ongoing point of contact
for practical help. At an interpersonal level, shops offered
opportunity to socialise and reinforce a vaping identity…”
Like all valuable research, the piece also laid out where
vape shops (and the general business and consumer culture)
need i mprovement, ci ti ng certai n atmospher es and
practices which may be off-putting.
“…Although the environment was perceived as intimidating
for some (e.g., new and female users)”
An additional bonus finding was also the revelation that
shops are on the whole, law abiding and keeping to
regulatory practice.
“At a structural level, shops ensured easy access to
products perceived to be good value by customers and had
adapted to legislative changes.”
The research team found advantages in logistics and
efficiency for new and inexperienced vapers in acquiring the
right liquids and getting their mods fully optimised. Before the
expansion of vape shops, users had to rely solely on trial and