This would be one of those type of threads where I think the diacetyl issue ought to be brought up. Cause surely it is playing into what is stated in the above quote, just as surely as it has for the last 7+ years.
Quoting myself because I'm not really looking to rehash the DAP debate on this thread as much as I am explaining that this is part of the reason smokers do think vaping is equally as harmful as smoking. The article says:
And yet, millions of smokers have the impression that e-cigarettes are at least as harmful as tobacco and we have a responsibility to provide clear information on the facts as we know them to be.
I have been with the smoker type (friend) who told me to my face that those things (vaping devices/eLiquid) will one day be found out to be as bad for you as smoking. I'm sure we all have had similar experiences with family or friends.
But it's not like only opposition is bringing up the alleged, and unproven, harms of eCigs. DAP is one of a perhaps a few examples I could've brought up where even vapers are making claims that would lead a normal person to make the claim that vaping is as bad for you as smoking. Go into a "should we vape indoors" type of thread and listen to the "no we should not" crowd echo the whole "we just don't know" meme and play the "it's not totally harmless" card to help establish the notion that even some vapers know that what they are doing is probably just as bad as smoking.
And this IMO is a three-fold process that will likely continue to play out for the rest of human history.
First level is the providing clear information on the facts as we know them to be. That's what I hear
@Kent C addressing in this thread and how the article isn't able to do this very well. It does it better than many and it is a very significant step in the scheme of international (public health) politics, but it is setting the standard for "information on facts" fairly low, which equals to fairly unclear. Though that has been happening since beginning of intellectual communication and so I do think it unfair to think this article is going to magically be at level of "clear information." But this first level does also speak to how we vapers present the information on harm related to vaping. I think there will always be vapers that think of the activity in vein of "bad choice" or something no one else should do unless you already made the "horrible choice" previously to start smoking. These type of vapers will then constantly be downplaying the perceived benefits and consistently concluding that vaping is a bad thing in terms of public health, unless (and really only if) it is compared to smoking.
Which brings up the second level. Vaping absolutely needs smoking to be the bad guy, the dangerous guy, the harmful/deadly guy for certain politics of vaping to stay relevant. I find this distasteful for most part, but will admit it does hold many advantages. Main reason I find it distasteful is because humanity hasn't really presented clear information on the facts as we know them to be with regards to smoking. I could cite around 50 examples and make this a very long point for anyone who doubts this, but IMO, it is unlikely to change in human dialogue anytime soon. People are quite comfortable (and incredibly stubborn) in their determination to make smoking the worst possible decision anyone can make, ever. I think if we had clear information around smoking, it would make it easier to have clear, honest, accurate information on vaping. Instead, we have semi clear information on what vaping is not (namely the deadly horrible choice that smoking is, according to human mythology).
The third level is the one I think is most important and easily most relevant to presenting clear information on facts as we know them. It is the kids issue. And it is very rarely, if ever, about "them kids." On the surface of things it really does appear like it is about them kids, those minors, those precious little innocent people who we both treasure and treat like idiots most of the time. We routinely present the kids issue as a them people type situation when in reality, almost every smoker / now vaper was a kid when they started. Thus in actual reality, it is (or was) us that did this, but also is very likely still that way (and always has been) and yet we think that somehow we are going to start a new activity and keep it only for adults, starting now. So, we then want to present clear info on facts as we know them, as if kids anywhere haven't considered vaping already from angles that are just as clear and factual in their experience. But we can't speak to them directly, unless the message is, "don't do this."
This third level is easily worth it's own post, but because it will likely never be resolved through vaping politics, then I don't feel like its really worth it. I do think though that all the messages we tell ourselves about health and safety of vaping, are relevant to kids vaping, and that it is dishonest to assume there is a conversation we have with fellow adults and a separate, distinct conversation we would have with kids. Furthermore, and IMO most important is that whatever the message that is being conveyed to kids is in reality being conveyed to adults about adults, but perceived as not that way. Prime example: certain flavors and the way they are marketed are obviously trying to appeal to youth. This is very clearly a statement about adults, yet perceived (I think) as a message along lines of "stop making products that appeal to kids." When in actual reality it is saying, "stop enjoying this product as a youthful recreational activity."
For me, all these levels tie together, and are perhaps summed up as understanding vaping as a quasi-medical personal triumph story or understanding vaping as a recreational choice that intelligent humans (of any age) may engage in. IMO, it can be both. A recreational choice allows for the personal triumph stories to be experienced as often as desired. But the quasi-medical approach would deny the recreational approach and then have the gall to say it is the righteous path toward vaping and presenting clear / factual information on the activity. How dare you blow a big vape cloud and show the world how fun that is when I use this device to keep me from smoking! Ya know, cause when I was smoking at age 16, it wasn't about having fun and being cool/rebellious. This is clearly a device for smoking cessation! Oh, look a new mod. And it's on sale! Man, I'm going to have some fun times with that.
And I don't do that - I just point out what fools they are and how continuing to 'argue' those points are foolish as well.
