Protest against proposed indoor use bans

[Vocalek]

This idea comes from our good friend Tom09 who lives in Germany.

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Creative protest action against e-cig prohibition in Germany:

German vapers currently prepare to send their ashtrays, as they are not needed anymore, to NRW’s health minister Barbara Steffens (who had positioned herself at the forefront of the present prohibition campaign).
Cleaned ashtray should be sent in a postpaid parcel with a friendly letter included, and scheduled to arrive at, exactly,
the Ash Wednesday (Feb. 22).

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Let's say that a proposed ban against indoor us of e-cigarettes pops up in your community. If each member of the legislative body that will vote on the measure receives a clean ashtray along with a letter from several of their constituents, the message might hit home harder. To say "I stopped smoking" is one thing. To send them your ashtray is a tangible message.

[rothenbj]

That is an excellent protest, great thinking Tom. The only thing I'd change is cleaning the ashtray. I know I have one around here somewhere that hadn't been cleaned in ages (used it out in the garage). I'd happily donate that to someone from NJ, the next time Lautenberg proposes another E Cig regulation.

[Tom09]

This protest idea transpired in German user forums and was brought into life by the initiators of the campaign FB page. I just try to report on the German developments in this ECF thread.
When a concerted ANTZ campaign to outlaw e-cigs recently started Germany, the immediate reaction of many German vapers was complete outrage and verbally highly aggressive. I admit that I felt compelled to physically throw an ashtray against the head of our public health representatives, too (as it would have been unlikely to cause damage to an intelligent brain or to someone honest). I love the present German ash tray campaign, because it turned outrage and aggression into something very positive and productive. We vapers are not to be painted like nasty, aggressive, stupid drug addicts, whatever. We are friendly, intelligent, everyday people, standing our life in the middle of society. Therefore the certainly cleaned, symbolic ashtray, send by post, to set a sign and put emphasis on our argument.
I don't expect the addressesed person, in this case the health minister of NRW (one the German states), to change position. This minister (Barbara Steffens) has already entangled her political future with the extinction of e-cigs. However, the sent ashtray symbol is poised to help our voices noticed, to trigger discussions within the governmental body and in the general public.

[kristin]

Maybe instead of sending the ashtrays to a legislator, send them to someone in the local media. Then at least it would get covered in the news - where these battles are usually fought and lost because e-cigarette advocates don't get a voice.

[DC2]

I agree with Kristin, as usual.

[kristin]

See this is the kind of thing CASAA could do if we had the resources.

Imagine if CASAA could order about 200 ashtrays with the CASAA logo and "Think outside the pack," "I am CASAA," "I don't smoke!" or something like that printed on them and have all but a few delivered to a local member (or members), who could then deliver them to (maybe even respectfully dump them in) the office of the bill sponsor, co-sponsors or other architects of legislation or ordinances. The remaining single ashtrays would be dispersed among local media papers and tv stations, along with an attached press release that the other 200 ashtrays were dumped in so-and-so's office in protest of the e-cigarette legislation/ordinance.

Oh, the cool things we could do with the funding and member involvement!

[TennDave]

Good idea but the ash trays should be made so it wouldn't work with a cigarette- the lit cig would keep falling out of it or something... LOL

[Vocalek]

If we made them out of cheap plastic, they'd melt!



(They would be "just pretend" ash trays.)

[kristin]

Yeah, I was picturing something "mini" that wouldn't really make a practical ashtray.

How about this:
CASAA_ashtray.jpg
(Click to enlarge)

[Deadchivalry]

That's awesome. I can't imagine what I would do if I was in office and I got 200 ashtrays in one day. LOL.