Kimberly Sanders-Eachus seems like your average high school teacher, but she owns a vape and CBD shop. She believes her establishment might be one of the solutions for combating the youth vaping problem.

While working as a teacher at Newburgh Free Academy, she had the first hand opportunity to see the impact of vaping on youth. She witnessed students go through suspension after being caught using vape products. She felt she had to do something. After much deliberation with her family, she decided to open a 21 and above vape shop.

Kimberly owns the White Atmoss Vape & CBD Shop in Lakeside Plaza. Her family serves as business partners and staff. She also hired Rob McGinnnis as a business partner and part of the staff.

Her husband, Chris W. Eachus serves as the treasurer. Like his wife, Eachus has an interesting background, as a former teacher and a former Orange County Legislator. When not working at the shop, their daughter, Rebecca Sanders-Eachus works as a long-term substitute teacher in the school district. McGinnis has worked in vape shops in the past, and helps out around the shop with his knowledge of vape products. The shop has been open for around a month now but had its grand opening two Fridays ago.

In addition to vape products, the shop sells CBD products. CBD stands for Cannabidiol. Although CBD and marijuana both have THC, they aren’t the same. THC stands for tetrahydracannabidiol. It is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis. CBD is popular due to its all-natural benefits. CBD products can be used to cure ailments like back pain. Marijuana has 35 percent THC, while CBD products have 0.03 or less percent THC. According to Eachus, due to the low amount of THC in CBD, CBD doesn’t have the same effect as marijuana.

The family believes their 21 and over model will force legislators to implement regulations on vaping paraphilia. “Look if we approach vaping the way you approach tobacco sales,” Eachus said. “We’re going to get the same results. Hundreds of thousands of youth are going to be damaged by vaping and so on like that.”

Eachus explained that vape products are too accessible in convenience stores and gas stations. “You’ll see right down there are these huge displays [of vaping products]. They are advertising to kids. They are advertising to youths. Here we don’t let the youth in the door, only adults,” Eachus said. Currently more states, like New York, are acting to raise the legal vaping age to 21.

“There are a lot of rules and regulations and standards that liquor stores are held to.” Kimberly continued, “The same thing should be for any kind of nicotine product, for even any kind of hemp product.”

At the moment, vaping is a relatively new concept to consumers. Frequently when opening up the news, one can see stories on vape related deaths or the harm of vaping. The New York Times even described the amount of negative vaping cases as an epidemic. At the moment there isn’t enough information about the true impact of vape paraphilia. Still, vaping remains in controversy with politicians and the public alike. Just last week, the vape related death toll went up to six with more than a hundred reported vape related serious illness cases.

Kimberly wants to educate consumers on how to be safe. Her shop explains the impact of their products to each customer. After completing a course on the impact of vaping and hemp products, Rebecca compiled two guide books filled to the brim with information. “I think it’s great that they’re [her parents] not just saying someone should, and they’re actually doing something about it [the youth vaping problem],” Rebecca said.

“We don’t intentionally want people to vape. You come in; we are not a hard sale.” She said, “It’s more about education.”

None of the family vapes nor do they advocate for individuals to start vaping, unless they have a history with nicotine. Kimberly Sanders-Eachus explained that each customer that comes in is asked first if they smoke. If individuals aren’t interested in vaping as a way to stop smoking, they don’t advocate for them to start vaping, unless they want to vape something without nicotine.

In a way, Kimberly and her family are continuing their work as educators. Kimberly explained that her students are aware that she owns White Atmoss. “I try to teach them life lessons as well,” She said. “One of the lessons is yes, I own a vape shop and no I don’t want you to start vaping. And they know that.”

“Some former students I see outside the window, they go ‘hi come here,’ and they go ‘you really do own a vape shop, it’s not like you to own a vape shop.’” She said, “My store will hopefully educate people.”