At this point, quite a lot of people have heard inklings of e-cigarettes but really know next to nothing. I have puffed my e-cigarette in the grocery store a few times and all I got were dirty looks from people who had no idea what I was doing aside from the fact that it looks like smoke but I was using a black plastic box mod and using sweet cream e-liquid. One time I puffed it and I was standing next to three store workers and one was a management type person I think. None of them said anything or even looked at me funny. I was not trying to start trouble, actually, I am just a very heavy vaper and I did it out of habit more than any other reason. If someone who worked for the store asked me not to I would have just said okay and put it in my pocket instead of on the lanyard around my neck so I would not use it instinctively. I believe that we should be able to use our e-cigarettes pretty much anywhere we want because I do not believe I am harming anyone by using mine, but then again, I do not know for sure how nicotine is left in the air by exhaling a big cloud of vapor. Does anyone know for sure about the levels of nicotine in post-vapor, if any??
I think there are places where we need to refrain from using e-cigarettes until we have gotten legislation passed that specifically says we can use them anywhere we want to. Like hospitals, airplanes, courthouses and places sort of like that. I think this guy in the airplane should have gone into the bathroom if he needed a vape that badly. He knew full well that people would react poorly to big clouds of what looked like smoke being blown around them. Although, maybe he vaped accidentally like I have done, but chances are he took the e-cigarette out after getting on the plane and decided he wanted to see what happened. ..but like everyone else, only this guy knows for sure what he was thinking, if he was thinking at all.
For now, we need to be respectful of the general public because they don't know what it is we are doing. They don't know how it is going to effect them. Most people probably think that the vapers are the ones being obnoxious and treading on their rights. Our rights are just as important as their rights, but we need to be careful because this is a battle where we are heavily outnumbered and the FDA and big tobacco have a lot of money on their side and a powerful secret weapon called misinformation that they can use to lead the populace around by their noses like scared bleating little lambs.
Once we get legislation passed saying e-cigarettes are okay (if we ever can)
Once the general public are really aware of what e-cigarettes are and do
Then we can start using them indoors in certain places. Maybe we can form groups of people in our areas that can approach certain business owners and discuss e-cigarette yse in their establishments. Not all establishments right now of course, but there are certain places where they might be a good idea, and could be used to convert smokers as well.
BARS & LOUNGES
FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS (Elks, Lions, Moose, KofC, etc)
RESTAURANTS
STORES
If we get permission from the owners and they can help us explain to other patrons that it is allowed and nothing to worry about. We can maybe convert some people as well. Especially in bars in areas that have banned smoking in bars. You could even get the bars to maybe sell disposables to people?? Just a thought..
Anyways.. This guy on the plane was more than likely trying to prove a point, but went about it in the wrong way, but I don't know for sure so I am speculating just like the rest of us. There are things we can do though to help get our community presence out there and information to the people about e-cigarettes. We need to do it gently and slowly or as others have said, we will push people away by trying to ram it down their throats. No one likes the be pushed around. Not us. Not them. We are very outnumbered though.
The battle for public opinion should be first.
