The first time I heard of an "anti-smoking" group being opposed to e-cigarettes, my curiosity was piqued!
They're safe, they can be used by even old and sick people like me, they taste good, they come in pink - what's not to like?
When I took the time to stop, read and listen, I made an astonishing discovery:
Not all smoking cessation ideation is created equal.
I know, DUH, right?
As I pored over the weighty tomes in the ECF libraries (I don't care what it says on the front page, there's way more than one library here) educating myself about e-cigarettes, I
experienced an unexpected side effect - in the form of a whole bonus bolus of learning about the concept of "harm reduction," which, truth be told, I had not realized had been officially dignified by elevation to the status of Concept, from its previous humble status as a mere garden variety globule of common sense, of the same general genus as "coming in out of the rain."
But no, the idea that reducing harm is a Good Thing (TM) is now officially on the books as a full-blown Concept, and has thus gone the way of all common sense globules upon whom is bestowed this honor, and become Controversial.
Yes, Virginia, there are people who believe that reducing harm is a very bad idea, and should not be permitted, and those who try to do it must be stopped.
Thankfully, there are also people who not only embrace, but celebrate, the concept of harm reduction, (which is what one has to do, once something becomes a Concept, unless you plan to Oppose it) and even more thankfully, ECF is a roiling, teeming hotbed of such individuals).
Needless to say, I was by now more than intrigued, and after lurking around a few more "stop smoking" support groups, and doing some more listening and observing, my puzzlement soon gave way to yet another DUH!
Among Those Opposed to e-cigarettes and Those Opposed to the Concept of harm reduction, there appeared to be a LOT of overlap, and they were all driven by - wait for it - Belief!
(This part and the next one had to be divided up because of the 10,000 character limit)
They're safe, they can be used by even old and sick people like me, they taste good, they come in pink - what's not to like?
When I took the time to stop, read and listen, I made an astonishing discovery:
Not all smoking cessation ideation is created equal.
I know, DUH, right?
As I pored over the weighty tomes in the ECF libraries (I don't care what it says on the front page, there's way more than one library here) educating myself about e-cigarettes, I
experienced an unexpected side effect - in the form of a whole bonus bolus of learning about the concept of "harm reduction," which, truth be told, I had not realized had been officially dignified by elevation to the status of Concept, from its previous humble status as a mere garden variety globule of common sense, of the same general genus as "coming in out of the rain."
But no, the idea that reducing harm is a Good Thing (TM) is now officially on the books as a full-blown Concept, and has thus gone the way of all common sense globules upon whom is bestowed this honor, and become Controversial.
Yes, Virginia, there are people who believe that reducing harm is a very bad idea, and should not be permitted, and those who try to do it must be stopped.
Thankfully, there are also people who not only embrace, but celebrate, the concept of harm reduction, (which is what one has to do, once something becomes a Concept, unless you plan to Oppose it) and even more thankfully, ECF is a roiling, teeming hotbed of such individuals).
Needless to say, I was by now more than intrigued, and after lurking around a few more "stop smoking" support groups, and doing some more listening and observing, my puzzlement soon gave way to yet another DUH!
Among Those Opposed to e-cigarettes and Those Opposed to the Concept of harm reduction, there appeared to be a LOT of overlap, and they were all driven by - wait for it - Belief!
(This part and the next one had to be divided up because of the 10,000 character limit)
