I’m not sure if I should’ve posted in the “New Members” forum. I’m more of a “returning member”.
I originally joined ECF in early 2012 when I first started vaping. At the time, I was living in Indiana and usually purchased the “cig-a-like” devices from gas stations and liquor stores (menthol- or tobacco-flavored). Some stores had policies that they didn’t sell to anyone under 18, so I was occasionally asked for ID. With no complaint from others and sometimes asking permission, I vaped just about everywhere: my shared apartment, hallways, restaurants, shopping malls, etc. I was never told to stop. At the time, only New Jersey and a couple counties in Washington state banned the sale of e-cigarettes to people under 18 and considered vaping equivalent to smoking as it related to indoor clean air laws.
When I visited my folks in the Chicagoland area, I was usually told by the restaurant manager that either vaping was not allowed for one of two reasons: 1) some (non-existent) state or city law or 2) another patron would complain. For those reasons, I almost never vaped indoors around there.
In late 2014, I more or less quit vaping, and by mid-2015 I was moved back to the Chicago suburbs before settling in the city. From a legal, cultural, and social standpoint, vaping had completely changed:
- Most, if not all, states now prohibit the sale to people under 18 (or even 21)
- Many municipalities in the U.S., including Chicago and several suburbs, now ban vaping wherever smoking is banned. A decent chunk of states do as well.
- I think that I saw maybe 1 or 2 people vaping (only outdoors) when I was still doing it. I now personally know several people that currently vape or have vaped.
- Nobody uses the “cig-a-likes” anymore, which really surprised me given that many users once smoked tobacco cigarettes.
- The antivaping crowd is much larger and vocal than just a few years ago, likely fueled by misinformation being spread by the FDA, CDC, and politicians at the state and federal level. The false equivalency between vaping and smoking and the belief that vaping is a gateway to smoking is espoused much more now than when I was vaping.
The very rapid shifts in both laws and public perception on vaping have vilified e-cigarettes to the point that I’m sure convinced some people to either: 1) start smoking tobacco cigarettes instead (who would have otherwise vaped), 2) not quit smoking, or even 3) return to smoking after having vaped. I can’t say that I would’ve vaped or encouraged others to do the same knowing what the future held. It is very unfortunate because I come from a family of many smokers that maybe would’ve benefitted from e-cigarettes before contracting lung cancer or other health problems.
I originally joined ECF in early 2012 when I first started vaping. At the time, I was living in Indiana and usually purchased the “cig-a-like” devices from gas stations and liquor stores (menthol- or tobacco-flavored). Some stores had policies that they didn’t sell to anyone under 18, so I was occasionally asked for ID. With no complaint from others and sometimes asking permission, I vaped just about everywhere: my shared apartment, hallways, restaurants, shopping malls, etc. I was never told to stop. At the time, only New Jersey and a couple counties in Washington state banned the sale of e-cigarettes to people under 18 and considered vaping equivalent to smoking as it related to indoor clean air laws.
When I visited my folks in the Chicagoland area, I was usually told by the restaurant manager that either vaping was not allowed for one of two reasons: 1) some (non-existent) state or city law or 2) another patron would complain. For those reasons, I almost never vaped indoors around there.
In late 2014, I more or less quit vaping, and by mid-2015 I was moved back to the Chicago suburbs before settling in the city. From a legal, cultural, and social standpoint, vaping had completely changed:
- Most, if not all, states now prohibit the sale to people under 18 (or even 21)
- Many municipalities in the U.S., including Chicago and several suburbs, now ban vaping wherever smoking is banned. A decent chunk of states do as well.
- I think that I saw maybe 1 or 2 people vaping (only outdoors) when I was still doing it. I now personally know several people that currently vape or have vaped.
- Nobody uses the “cig-a-likes” anymore, which really surprised me given that many users once smoked tobacco cigarettes.
- The antivaping crowd is much larger and vocal than just a few years ago, likely fueled by misinformation being spread by the FDA, CDC, and politicians at the state and federal level. The false equivalency between vaping and smoking and the belief that vaping is a gateway to smoking is espoused much more now than when I was vaping.
The very rapid shifts in both laws and public perception on vaping have vilified e-cigarettes to the point that I’m sure convinced some people to either: 1) start smoking tobacco cigarettes instead (who would have otherwise vaped), 2) not quit smoking, or even 3) return to smoking after having vaped. I can’t say that I would’ve vaped or encouraged others to do the same knowing what the future held. It is very unfortunate because I come from a family of many smokers that maybe would’ve benefitted from e-cigarettes before contracting lung cancer or other health problems.
