Vape Store Owners Speak Out Regarding Potential Flavored Tobacco, Nicotine Ban

Zach Johnson, the owner of Sports Vape, argues that the ban would not prevent minors from obtaining such products and would cost the city a significant amount of tax revenue.

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – “We shouldn’t be taking away our rights and our freedoms under the guise of protecting the youth,” says Zach Johnson, owner of Sports Vape in Fargo.

Johnson says that he understands the basic motivation behind the proposed ban of flavored tobacco and nicotine products, but that it simply won’t have the desired effect.

Last Friday, the Fargo-Cass Board of Health held a special meeting to pass this resolution, which then goes in front of the City Commission for final consideration, perhaps sometime in March.

Johnson is spending that time getting the word out – urging people in Fargo to sign his petition and make their voices heard regarding governmental overreach.

Critics of flavored vape products have long held the belief that minors specifically are drawn to those flavors, a premise with which Johnson disagrees.

He also points out that effectively shutting down businesses such as his own would deprive the city of tax revenue at a time when it’s sorely needed.

“There’s roughly about 65 million dollars of tobacco sales in the city of Fargo itself. That equates to 5 million a year in tax revenue. I think we’d be a little foolish as a city, being 1.3 billion in debt, to cut tax revenue,” he said.

He says he’s all about cooperation and is willing to work to figure out another solution – but, in his opinion, this one just isn’t it.

The city of Moorhead instituted a similar ban last year, and West Fargo Mayor Bernie Dardis said he plans to bring this resolution to the West Fargo City Commission for consideration as well.