SNELLVILLE – Spurred by reports of people getting sick or dying from vaping products, the Mayor and Council unanimously decided to place a 12-month moratorium on approving the opening of new vape shops in the city.

“This is something that is of particular interest to me, because as I have been reading, and all of you I am sure have been reading every day practically in the newspaper, there’s more concern expressed for e-cigarettes and vaping and the illnesses and deaths that have been caused,” said Councilwoman Gretchen Schulz, who spearheaded Mayor and Council’s efforts looking into the issue. “What this resolution that we are looking at passing does is prohibit the opening of any new vape shops for the next 12 months. This will give us time to see what, if anything, is going to be done perhaps by the state legislature or by the federal government. After 12 months we can determine where we go at that point.”

A vape shop is defined as a store which has total retail sales of more than 25 percent designated to vaping products or 25 percent of the floor area designated for the sale or advertising of vaping products, city officials said.