I've been as critical as anyone of what seems to be a failure to mobilize and/or commit on the part of this community, but I don't think it is the individuals who are at fault.
Sure, everyone could always do something more, and I'm not sure I could claim that vapers are any more prone to mobilize than any other special interest group, but I think that they(we) are on par with other groups, at the individual level.
The failure to mobilize, in my opinion, is due to ignorance to the peril, on the individual level, because of a lack of sophistication and maturity on the part of the community's "leaders".
We've seen almost no evolution in tactics on the part of CASAA et. al. between the regulation draft-phase, the release-phase, and now.
Still, for the most part, the same impotent petitions, calls to contact legislators, and stacks of fliers in shops that they were doing two years ago. They've failed, if they attempted at all, to get placement on news programs and talk radio. There wasn't, that I've heard about at least, a drive to buy showing right to A Billion Lives.
Our community "leaders", our support and mobilization network, seem to be conducting themselves as if they are a campus organization, fighting the dean's administration, to get more environmentally-responsible meal choices in the cafeteria or some such nonsense.
I know that saying that CASAA is anything short of awesome is probably not going to be popular around here, but, in my view, our community "leader" is impotent and immature.
The individuals in the community would/could mobilize to fight this, they just don't have any leadership to inform them of what is going on, let alone mobilize them as a unified force to fight it.
$0.02
I've said this ad naseum even back in 2012.
In CASAA's defense however, they are an advocacy group. They are mostly there to inform....they put out calls to action, PR about vaping, etc. but they do not have a battallion of lawyers, they do not have a PAC or Lobby, etc. They are volunteers with a very small budget.
(Not really sure what some expect them to be doing?)
If anything, it's been people's (and businesses) *reliance* on them that is at fault....they do what they do and given their mission, budget and staff, they are doing what they say they are doing. What I mean is the idea that "CAASA will do it......"
It would certainly
help if people would read their *About* page. That way, maybe it will be some clarity about what they do (and what they don't do.)
About CASAA
Back in the day when bans were sweeping across regions, back in the day when Dr. F. was doing his research on flavorings and diacetyl, etc. was when all vendors should have formed an industry trade group (instead of infighting and competing with each other) and do what trade groups do. Pool resources, get a lobby group, hire some attorneys, be a force.
Because I can tell you early on when I looked at some of the orgs that were "trying" to form, there was like 10 vendor members in some of them. Back when there should have been thousands!
This is what happens when you let the grass grow under your feet. However, I am going to assume that many people (who were roofers or coffee makers or something) got into this business to make some big money (for them) and really just figured maybe get in and get out? (now the getting out part is drawing neigh). I don't think they really thought things out, and there has never been a whole lot of cohesion in the industry.
If you've ever been in a company project, or even a volunteer org you know there is always a core group who do the HEAVY LIFTING .....
Conversely, there has always been the serious "we're a real business, we've got a long term plan, we're "all in" vendors, and they were EASILY identifiable early on. (and have grown even bigger since I started vaping in 2012.)
Hence my prediction all along that there would be "Big Vaping" standing when the dust settles, and maybe, because of their benevolence, a few smaller concerns operating out there.
Totally Wicked spent a ton of dough in that last legal battle, had a lobby group, etc. Seems like a lot of vendors are more like free-loaders.....they expect to ride the coat tails of the business people who are actually DOING SOMETHING other than pushing product over a counter or thru the mail........
I really don't have much sympathy. I guess you can tell. Free market economy, nobody gives you a roadmap, you gotta make it on your own, and you have to be able to change and have coping with changes in your business environment at the top of your list.
hundreds of thousands of small businesses go belly up every year.....and I can tell you that most of them were not victims, except of their own lack of business savvy and planning and good FORMAL business model/plan (which includes good advisement from attorney, banking officer, accountant, etc.) The ones in my region (not just vaping concerns) but every imaginable business, either they had crummy inventory, didn't have finances to keep up good inventory, misjudged the need in their community for their service or product, etc. etc. etc. i can go on and on but it's always pretty obvious to me when i 'study' them.
That any of the eliquid vendors thought they could sling ejuice out (complete with dog hairs in the bottle, and other such things that have come up in the early years and even today, leaking dripping packages because they never set up like a real business with their own boxes for their products, correct bottles, etc. that would come leaking in the mail) or stick it out with products that were "yesterday's model"-----so much stuff I have seen, from the perspective of a business person just seemed ASTOUNDING to me........
