I want to start an e-cig campaign

[IanK1968]

I would love to sit out on Yonge street on a warm spring day handing out fliers and letting smokers try the e-cig and educate people on e-cigs. Not to promote the product, but promote awareness on a safer alternative to smoking. The more exposure, more public awareness, more education can tilt the favour to our side. More of a public outcry the more we make a fuss, the more HC will have to listen. UofT might do a full out research on e-cigs.

In our campaign we can include the online petition, forcing HC to listen, forcing someone to research e-cigs, forcing the government to take attention to e-cigs. There will be haters, and lots of them that no mater what you say will thing e-cigs are as harmful as analogs, but the more we educate the more we can pursued favour to our side.

The only problem is money and resources. I was wondering if all the suppliers can come together to start a street campaign donating an e-cig and some juice. Get people who have an extra buck or two to donate to print up fliers. I would be more then willing to be involved, but Iam not educated enough to head it. We need people are fully educated on e-cigs to head the campaign. Also if the media was made aware of a street campaign they will report on it giving us a much bigger exposure.

What are your thoughts on this type of campaign? what are the pros and cons? is it worth it? can we drive enough interest in our e-cig community to get resources such as e-cigs and juice for the public to try. under 18 need not apply.

 

[Can_supplier]

The beauty of a new product like this is, you walking down the street, have more pull than a million dollar billboard in the center of the city, or a million dollar ad campaign.

Just walking around, people who have not seen this product look at you and wonder what you are doing. You attract a ton of attention. Take the time to chat with these people. Share YOUR experience and what it means to YOU. Nothing is more sincere and powerful than honesty.

You will get your message out to more people this way that you realize. Seeing an e-cigarette for the 1st time is a memory that can stay with someone of life. You are part of that memory, and the message you covey will stay with that person for just as long.

You don’t need to look for the power, you already have it.

 

[Kams Cats]

If I did that my city would make a bylaw banning them. Trust me. I live in one of the least progressive communities in Ontario. they ban everything new where they can.

Instead I treat it like a cigarette. Smokers see me and ask questions so I explain it too them.

 

[IanK1968]

What would be their bases for banning e-cigs from outdoor use? HC already banned it, your city cant do something thats already done.

I have walked around with my e-cig and have yet to draw any interest. Would doing a flyer campaign really hurt the e-cig community that much that we have to tip toe around? There is an amendment that protects us and allows us to use our voice. Knowledge is power and the less we use our knowledge the less power we have.

I thought I would throw the idea out there. I figured people would want to get their voices out there and pressure the government. Passiveness is a Canadian trait I will never understand.

 

[Can_supplier]

What would be their bases for banning e-cigs from outdoor use? HC already banned it, your city cant do something thats already done.

I have walked around with my e-cig and have yet to draw any interest. .

The better word would be to treat it like smoking, so its use is banned in public places. For example GE has included e-cigarettes in the site wide smoking ban.

I think you draw more interest than you think.. Take another look around tomorrow

Also I am not proposing an in your face approach to this. Standing on the table in a crowded restaurant while vaping up a storm, challenging anyone who tells you to stop, is not the type of attention you want. Standing with smokers outside in the smoking area will draw enough attention, and won't offend anyone..

 

[IanK1968]

I thought the e-cig was made so we dont have to treat it like a cigarette which I felt like I had public shame every time I lit up. I find it appalling that GM would do that and even though I would lose I would still challenge it. banning e-cigs as smoking I mean really? blowing out water is in the same class as blowing out tobacco smoke? seriously? People have conformed to the fact that anything that comes out of your mouth should be banned. If the non smokers can create such an absurd outroar why cant we? Non smokers 2 Vapers 0

 

[Kams Cats]

Trust me, they would find a way. My e-bike was just banned from bike lanes in my city. We only have one bike lane and they made a bylaw declaring that my bike is not power assisted bike that the Min of Trans says it is but a motor vehicle. I asked if I could ride it like a motor vehicle and they told me of course not I had to follow the rules for bikes. Then I was told by the one councilperson supportive of my cause that if I kept it up they might just ban them from everywhere and it can sit in my driveway. That is the attitude.

Knowing them they would make a by-law saying that vapor within so many feet of any city property. IE: sidewalks and roads is illegal. Trust me. These guys would try.

If I wasn't using nicotine I would do it. I am not 100% convinced that they can't go after me for the nicotine.

 

[IanK1968]

This is making me so angry I need a vape.

 

[Can_supplier]

People have conformed to the fact that anything that comes out of your mouth should be banned. If the non smokers can create such an absurd outroar why cant we? Non smokers 2 Vapers 0

Absurd is right. But we are only 20% of the population...

For the extreme element in the non-smoking movement, it never was about smoking for them. It was about the control of telling people what to do. With smoking beat, they have to move on to something new to get their control fix..

That e-cigarettes were promoted as "smoking everywhere" is a farce and a marketing tool. Some people are not comfortable being around people who are vaping for whatever reason. As vapers we need to respect that, and in turn others will return the respect, and give us more latitude as they understand the product. I'm going to smoke everywhere in your face, is not an approach we want to take.

It was GE not GM BTW.

 

[Can_supplier]

Knowing them they would make a by-law saying that vapor within so many feet of any city property. IE: sidewalks and roads is illegal. Trust me. These guys would try.

If I wasn't using nicotine I would do it. I am not 100% convinced that they can't go after me for the nicotine.

By-laws often have more bark than bite. 1st who enforces them? 2nd, what power do they really have? Is a metermaid going to give you a ticket for your e-bike? If so, why pay it, what are they going to do? We only pay our parking tickets because they won't renew the vehicle sticker if we don't..

Civil disobedience in the face of abuse of power, especially when they can’t enforce it, is often a powerful remedy.

 

[IanK1968]

oh GE sorry its not like the E and M are close together lol. Yeah I guess its all about control. smokers had control for so many years, non smokers feel the need to "get back at us" by controlling us.

I dont want to promote e-cigs as a smoke anywhere product, I dont even want to promote the product, I want to find a way to put pressure on HC. I totally respect people who feel uncomfortable with vaping. I guess because this is in its infantcy stage and people are scared almost to death of change, it will take time. 20% of 32 million is alot of people do be knocking on HC's door saying wth guys??

 

[Kams Cats]

I just thought of something. Make it an election issue. I can just picture the blank looks on the politicians faces when you ask them about changing Health Canada's attitude about it.

Sorry, feeling tired and defeated and moody tonight. I do think it is a control issue too. Some people just want to control what you do and how to do it. Sort of like they want you to quit smoking but they want you to suffer while doing so.

 

[IanK1968]

DONT SMOKE, but hey you can chew the gum and wear the patch but NO VAPING. Im wondering if I smoked a pencil if they would ban that too.

 

[IanK1968]

make it an election issue lol. Mr. Harper, whats your stance on e-cigs? I would be surprised if he even knew. Mr. Harpers response would be, as long as we can control you and you dont make a peep we will continue to do so, DEMOCRACY.

 

[Kams Cats]

Yeah but we enjoy. I imagine if it was a horrible experience it would be ok. LOL I had a nosy neighbour who saw me vape through my window a couple of weeks ago. This person actually came up to me today and told me that SHS was bad for my pets. Gee thank you for being so concerned. I told them as I was going in the door that it was just my PV and not to worry it wasn't smoke. Just some mist. She said she was relieve that I wasn't abusing them with smoke.

I sat down and just fumed. Plenty of SHS in here. All coming form my ears.

 

[IanK1968]

because everyone has a pickle up their tooshies now, everyone wants to be a cop. everyone is so concerned about everyone else, they never look at their own situation. and yes if you enjoy something you better believe it will be banned asap.

 

[Supertaper]

Yeah but we enjoy. LOL I had a nosy neighbour who saw me vape through my window a couple of weeks ago. This person actually came up to me today and told me that SHS was bad for my pets. Gee thank you for being so concerned. I told them as I was going in the door that it was just my PV and not to worry it wasn't smoke. Just some mist. She said she was relieve that I wasn't abusing them with smoke.

I sat down and just fumed. Plenty of SHS in here. All coming form my ears.

I would have been tempted to say something along the lines of "Looking in other peoples windows and sticking your nose in their business can be hazardous to your health." I probably wouldn't have actually said it, but I would have wanted to. I would have been fuming too.

 

[IanK1968]

I would have said, you know peeping toms is illegal and I can charge you

 

[Kams Cats]

LOL I was most likely standing right there in the picture window, waiting for the mailman.

 

[fcitrolo]

I had a nosy neighbour who saw me vape through my window a couple of weeks ago. This person actually came up to me today and told me that SHS was bad for my pets.

She would make Janet Napolitano a.k.a. "Big Sis" proud.