Electronic cigarettes sales have skyrocketed at one Red Deer smoke shop, but a city decision Thursday to fold them under smoking bylaws has left local vendors steaming.

“We’ve had e-cigs for five or six years, but in the last year it’s really exploded,” says Nicole Rasse, an employee of the family-owned Gord’s Smoke Shop. “It’s kind of a bigger thing down in the States, but it’s making its way to Canada.”

E-cigarettes use batteries to produce an inhalable steam from flavoured cartridges that often include nicotine and range from $10 disposable e-cigarettes to $150 luxury models, Industry estimates peg last year’s worldwide sales around $3 billion.

A Thursday morning city statement says Red Deer “is clearing the air” on e-cigarettes “in response to questions from members of the community.”

“Upon review of its Smoke Free Bylaw, the city has confirmed the bylaw and its definition of ‘smoking’ apply to ‘vaping’ — the practice of using an e-cigarette — as well as smoking combustible cigarettes,” reads the statement.

That prohibits e-cigarettes from a list of venues, from casinos and bars to patios and workplaces.

“We want to make this grey issue more black and white until federal and provincial regulators provide more direction,” reads a quote attributed to Sarah Cockerill, director of community services. A Friday afternoon request to clarify who made the decision was not returned.

Red Deer may be the first Canadian municipality to fold its smoking bylaw under e-cigarettes.

Kate Ackerman sells e-cigarettes in Mountain View County, and is on the Electronic Cigarette Industry Trade Association (ECTA) board of directors. She said she’s “in shock and awe” by the change.

“I’m very, very discouraged to see this happen. It appears that Red Deer made this decision without talking to anyone,” Ackerman said.

Ackerman points out that most e-cigarettes use propylene glycol as a flavouring, which leaves an odour that some describe as being similar to a bakery. She predicts that it will be hard to enforce the bylaw, as e-cigarettes don’t produce smoke and leave a smell that quickly fades.

In 2009, Health Canada advised against e-cigarette use pending further study. While restrictions exist for nicotine products, e-cigarette sales remain a free-for-all — including to minors.

Ackerman says some people take up e-cigarettes because they’re trying to wean themselves off of tobacco, though they’ll now be told to stand near cigarette smokers.

Rasse said she’s heard of people using e-cigarettes to quit their tobacco habit, but says the store doesn’t advertise them that way.

“It’s a way you can smoke in more places,” she said. “A lot of people have switched to these devices so they’re not outside in -30 (Celsius) weather.”

Last month, 53 scientists pressured the World Health Organization (WHO) to embrace e-cigarettes as a tool to fight smoking deaths. Because they use fewer toxins, various groups — some funded by tobacco companies — argue e-cigarettes are a healthy alternative.

The move came in response to a memo leaked last November that said WHO officials see e-cigarettes as a threat to public health, because they resemble tobacco cigarettes, especially for children.

The document suggested countries classify them as regular tobacco products under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which almost every country except the U.S. follows.

Rasse suggests a more prudent city policy would enable e-cigarette use in dedicated areas, or “vaping” lounges.

“I think a lot of people react harshly because it is so much like smoking, “ said Rasse, saying the stigma transcends cigarettes, marijuana and e-cigarettes.

“As smokers, we’re kind of lower on the totem pole.”

drobertson@calgaryherald.com

Twitter.com/dcrHerald