906 Vapor - Marilena Marchetti

“906 Vapor” is a short documentary about a vape shop owned by Marc Slis in Houghton, Michigan. The population of this quirky, remote Upper Peninsula community is just shy of 8,000. Its heyday as the world's largest supplier of copper has long since passed but its residents remain proud of their heritage and American identity. Slis, a trained geophysicist, smoked for 44 years and quit the first time he used a vape. He believes vaping saved his life and has been giving back ever since. So far, he’s helped over 1,400 smokers quit. Never afraid to advocate for the rights of vapers, Slis sued the Michigan governor to stop a flavor ban and won in 2019. The shop functions as a non-judgemental, education, drop-in center for smokers from all walks of life. A pit bull sits in the shop window named “Bernie.” A sign above where she lays reads, “You can’t pet dogs when you are dead, quit smoking! I can help.” Bernie is a canine recruiter for Slis and is responsible for bringing countless new customers into the store. Slis’ fight to keep his vape shop open amidst a political backlash is emblematic of the wholesale demise of the independent vape industry. The film is as much a time capsule as a celebration of the community-based individuals who ushered in a new era of smoking cessation and therapeutic nicotine use that would fundamentally change people’s chance at health and longevity forever.