When we look back on 2025, once we process the general upheaval of governmental norms and the fractured political discourse, we might ask ourselves a question: What was up with all those vape and smoke shops?

While we’ve been doomscrolling and learning to live with uncertainty, these stores seem to have dotted the landscape overnight. It’s hard to get a count of how many there are, as some of these places aren’t officially registered, but one report has their number at about 70. That’s not counting the corner stores that have added these products to their inventory. 

Richmond’s vape shops are part of a nationwide story — one of unregulated markets, teenage access and federal crackdowns. 

This month, the federal government has also taken notice. On Sept. 10, agents seized hundreds of thousands of illegal vaping products in raids across the country, part of the Trump administration’s push to crack down on devices that teens have been getting their hands on — often smuggled in from China. 

Locally, police in Richmond, Chesterfield and Henrico have been involved in raids of at least five local shops last week. 

As federal and local authorities fight back, the bigger concern remains the teenagers who are getting hooked. And questions linger in the air: How did we get here, and how do we stop it?