Remember when crimped hair, safety pin jewelry, and the Atkins diet were cool? It often takes society a few years to catch up and collectively chastise a trend.
But sometimes, we can see that an idea is bad right from the start.
Take vaping — a monumental regulatory oversight unfolding in real time.
Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), also known as e-cigarettes or vapes, were initially sold as a healthier alternative to conventional cigarettes that could help smokers avoid the 600 ingredients and 7,000 different chemicals created when a cigarette was burned.
And although electronic cigarettes and other vaping apparatuses can be used responsibly by smokers weaning themselves off cigarettes, their “fun” flavors and ease of use has created an entire new generation of nicotine addicts that never before touched a cigarette.
Vaping is not harmless, and the ENDS industry should be treated with the same regulatory zeal as traditional cigarettes; because in many respects, users of these highly addictive nicotine products face many of the same challenges:
A Waste of Money
Think about all of that money you could be saving. Vape cartridges are expensive and easy to lose. Think about how many times you hand it off to a buddy and remember hours later that it was never returned.
Can’t Vape Inside
Winter is approaching and that means frigid temperatures and frozen fingers. Many establishments (businesses, bars, restaurants, airplanes) don’t allow vaping indoors. That means either going to a designated smoking, trekking outdoors, or waiting it out until you’re in an environment that allows smoking.
You Smell…Like Artificial Fruit?
Is that mango I smell? Or is it piña colada? Oh, it’s just the guy vaping down the street. The acrid aroma of cigarette smoke is something else entirely, but the cloyingly sweet artificial aroma of vape juice is no picnic either.
Everyone Wants a Puff
Remember how annoying and costly it was when every passerby wanted to bum a cigarette? Well, just imagine instead of offering a fresh cigarette you had to give them a pull from your vaporizer. That’s a lot of strange germs.