I'm gonna say this. I probably won't make any friends on here but this is what I feel about the vaping in public issue.
First, I love to vape. I am a chain vaper. I diy all my juices, rebuild my own coils, and stockpile. I believe we shoild have the right to vape and that it should be a personal choice. That being said.....
While non-vapers don't understand what it is, I understand that they don't understand. We should try to understand that. While we have quite a bit of evidence that it's pretty much harmless to those around us, the long term jury is still out. As long as it's already been around, it's still brand new to a lot of folks. A lot of folks are discovering daily and even seeing and hearing about it for the first time on a daily basis. That being said.....
I watched a guy in a store the other day blow out a huge cloud of what was probably all vg vaper. It was beyond any exhale I've ever seen from any cigarette. Now from the point of view of me as a vaper, it really bothered me. I'll explain that a bit in a moment. From the point of view of a non-vaper, I can only imagine. It sure looked like smoke to me. You think they want to hear, oh it's not smoke, it's just vapor and it won't hurt you. Who cares? Smoke or vapor, it has some substance. You can see it and smell it. It has substance and matter. They don't understand what it is. I understand that.
Why does it bother me to see something like that in a public place. First, we haven't won the war yet. We should still have a little discretion and some respect for the folks around us. The long term jury is still out and we don't have enough to stand on. Why fuel the fire? Guys like that just fuel the fire and help usher in government regulation and banning.
Besides the health benefits, I love the benefits of vaping. I can vape in my house. I can vape in my vehicles. And I can vape around the folks around me that do understand without it harming them (I think). And the DIY has turned into one of my favorite hobbies. However, I respect and understand the folks that don't understand. They may have just seen it for the first time and haven't had time to go research the difference between smoke and vapor. And really, should they have to and should they even care to? From what they can see and smell, there is substance in it regardless of what it is.
I myself can go shopping for an hour or two, go sit through a movie, or go do my day job and somehow survive without my nicotine fix. Rest assured that the first ting I do when I get to my truck is start hitting on my tank. I am seriously addicted to 30mg juice. And I've even snuck off to the bathroom stall a time or two. That's discretion and respect for the folks that don't understand yet.
Rather than being so concerned about being able to vape in public or where other people are, I'm more concerned with keeping our rights to get the supplies we need without government regulation. You can't smoke {OTHER STUFF} in public. You can't drink in public. But in a lot of places you can brew, grow, and use at home. However, abuse has forced, and at times much needed, government regulation. We're the minority. Blowing big clouds of vapor out where everyone can see it and smell it is taking push to the level of shove.
Until we have our way, we should be able to fight this battle with some wisdom, discretion, and respect for the folks that don't understand yet. The long term will have the proof for or argument against vaping. Wisdom, discretion, and respect.