East Bridgewater Vape Shop Accused Of Violating Statewide Ban

EAST BRIDGEWATER, MA — An East Bridgewater vape shop was served a cease-and-desist letter after police said it continued to sell vaping products throughout the month of October. The sale of all e-cigarettes and vaping products are currently banned after Governor Charlie Baker declared a statewide public health emergency in September.

According to Police Chief Scott Allen, the department received several complaints that Lifestyle Vape at 626 Bedford St. sold vaping products throughout the month of October, in clear violation of the ban. Several people reported that the store was selling products to minors, as well.

During their investigation, an officer saw a man put something in his pocket as he left the store before driving away. About 20 minutes later, he was pulled over by a different East Bridgewater officer after he ran a stop sign. Hearing that he had been pulled over, the first officer drove to the traffic stop and found out that the man had bought a vaping product from Lifestyle Vape.

On Tuesday, a cease and desist order from the East Bridgewater Board of Health was delivered to the store. The town was notified of the incident, and could issue additional fines or penalties to the store.

On Sept. 24, Baker declared a public health emergency in Massachusetts, calling for a four-month moratorium on the sale of all vaping products, both flavored and unflavored. A judge ruled the ban could stand for the time being on Oct. 21, after a group including the Vapor Technology Association filed a suit saying the ban was unconstitutional.

On Wednesday, state officials confirmed the second vaping-related death in Massachusetts.