APPLETON (NBC 26) — Before September, customers at vape shops like Top Dogz in Appleton could choose from more than 200 different flavored vape products. Now, only 39 remain on the shelves.
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The dramatic reduction follows a new Wisconsin state law requiring all vape products to receive FDA approval before being sold. The change has left many smoke shops across the state scrambling to clear old inventory or face fines as high as $1,000.
"Vapes were definitely our number one seller," Jason Williams, co-owner of Top Dogz, said.
Williams co-owns Top Dogz with Jenny Peters. The business owners say they're seeing fewer customers walk through their doors since the law took effect at the beginning of September.
"Clearly, we see a decline in the number of people coming through our doors; our numbers are down a little bit," Williams said.
An employee at A-Z Smoke Shop in Appleton, who declined to appear on camera, said the business is losing between $3,000 to $5,000 daily since the law went into effect.
The Top Dogz owners express concern not just for their business, but for customers who relied on vape products that are no longer available.
"What's impacted the most by this is our customers. Because a lot of our customers have chose to stop smoking cigarettes and now they have to come back to cigarettes," Peters said.
Non-profit Wisconsinites for Alternatives to Smoking Tobacco, also known as WiscoFAST, filed a lawsuit challenging the law. However, the lawsuit was overruled on Sept. 5.
If the law isn't reversed, Peters said Top Dogz may need to rebrand as a corner store to stay in business. Two Appleton smoke shops, including Fox Valley Vapor, have already temporarily closed.
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