You're right. It's a rear-guard action where you live. Even if authoritative information is produced, it's extremely difficult to "undo" bans. So, you have a terribly uphill battle in front of you to avoid being treated like a smoker. Facts will only make it marginally easier. Once PVs are legally treated like analogs, it becomes exponentially harder to break that association in the minds of the public, whatever the facts and regardless of how accepted they are by scientists and the medical community.
In other parts of the country, we are trying to avoid that. If people in Seattle were informed and as used to seeing vapers as they are to seeing cyclists, those bans might have been met with some significant opposition. But maybe not. It IS Seattle after all.
Where PVs are not yet treated like analogs, we are trying to prevent a situation where the ANTZ can convince people that smoking and
vaping are essentially the same thing. Most business owners have been receptive to
vaping, in my experience. Particularly receptive have been bars and restaurants, where smoking bans were met with some serious opposition.
Any good bar owner, for example, knows full well that every time a smoker goes outside, there's a chance he will leave for the night. They were the most vehemently opposed to the smoking bans and I have yet to encounter a bar owner or manager that was opposed to vaping, as long as it was not illegal.
Shop owners and restaurant owners are a slightly harder nut to crack. I have had no problem vaping in restaurants, but I tend to be more discreet about it. Not "stealth", but discreet. Restaurants will overlook it if no one complains and most have no set policy one way or the other. It's kind of a "wink-wink-nod-nod" situation. Dont' ask, don't tell.
The more we vape in public, the less chance of vaping bans gaining public support. Education is the key and you can't do that when you're standing in a smoking area. We need the support of non-smokers and non-smokers don't hang around in smoking areas to find out what you're doing. They see you there. They see what looks like a cigarette and they assume they know what you are doing... smoking, or something as equally offensive. Otherwise, why would you be doing it in a smoking area?
