Identification of Vape Shops in Two North Carolina Counties: An Approach for States without Retailer Licensing

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Joseph,D'Angelo,Heather,Kuteh,Jaleel,Martin,Ryan Lee (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: Stores that sell electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) as their primary productare a new phenomenon and often termed "vape shops". While vape shops are now regulated bystate and federal agencies, not all states maintain lists of vape shops in operation. Standard ways ofidentifying tobacco retailers through off-premise alcohol permits and business listing services may notidentify vape shops. We used four online business listing services (i.e., Google Maps, ReferenceUSA,YellowPages.com, Yelp) to identify vape shops in two counties in North Carolina (NC). In one county,we also assessed four vaping web sites. We drove primary and secondary roads to physically validatethe identified stores and attempt to identify stores not listed online. To assess the accuracy of theonline searches, we calculated sensitivity and positive predictive values (PPVs). This research wasconducted in spring and summer 2016 and identified 28 vape shops online. We confirmed 16 vapeshops (seven in Pitt County, NC, USA, and nine in Durham County, NC, USA). Online searches rangedin sensitivity, 62.5%--81.3%, and PPVs ranged from 73.3% to 92.3%. Because of the range of sensitivityfound among the business listing services, state policymakers should consider uniform licensingrequirements for vape and tobacco retailers to more easily track retailers and ensure compliancewith regulations.

Additional Information

Publication

Other

Language: English

Date: 2016

Keywords

tobacco products; commerce; retailers; vaping; e-cigarette

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