Snellville has enacted a 12-month moratorium on new vape shops opening.
The temporary ban was put in place after a formal discussion at Monday's city council meeting. This makes Snellville the second Gwinnett city to stop new vape shops from opening. Lilburn enacted a permanent ban in June, and Alpharetta denied an application for a new vape shop in late August.
The ban does not affect existing stores.
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Councilwoman Gretchen Schulz cited rising numbers of deaths from respiratory illnesses that could be linked to vaping as the impetus behind the action. As of last week, 26 people had died in 21 states, including one in Georgia, due to medical issues associated with vaping, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“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,” Schulz said. “After 12 months we can determine where we go at that point.”
The city previously enacted a similar year-long moratorium on dockless electronic scooters for similar reasons: they wanted to wait and see what the state government would do.
The city defines a vape shop as a store with at least 25% of its sales consisting of vaping products or 25% of its floor space dedicated for vaping products. Lilburn’s ban uses the same definition.
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