Why the hate on for recreational vapers?

[Blindtarm]

I actually bought my friend an e-cig so she'd stop stealing mine every time we met. She is a non-smoker, but loved the taste, it reminded her of a shisha, which she loved. Now she vapes 0% nicotine and I can keep mine for myself (with nicotine). I was a bit uncertain if I did the right thing for a while, but settled with that she's a grown up woman, and needs to decide for herself. Bought one for her boyfriend as well, who is a heavy smoker, so he could try it out. Think he liked it, so I'm just waiting to get the order of a second one for him, so he can stop smoking permanently.

 

[Aesop]

I'm fine with recreational vaping, but on the fence about the age restrictions on 0-nic juice.

I'm a couple decades away from my teenage years, but I do remember it was relatively easy to get alcohol, cigarettes, or most drugs. There are 2 ways to look at that:

1) Restricting vaping to adults means you know any kid vaping is doing wrong. You don't have to wonder if its 0-nic juice, nicotine, or ........ waxes/oils.

2) Kids are going to do it anyways, but won't tell you if its illegal. If you know they are going to do it, you can talk to them about being responsible.

Part of me abhors these zero tolerance policies that mean people don't have to think. "Ban everything so we don't have to worry about it" is an idiotic cop out that dumbs us down as a species. It's also the same mentality as those people against vaping because it "looks like smoking," "might be ........," or "we don't know the long term effects!"

If I know my kid is vaping, I can talk battery safety, ohm's law, sub-ohming, and other general "how not to blow your face off" type topics. If they learn it from their friends.... It's likely going to be "Dude, check out this 0.2 ohm coil on 3 stacked 18650's!" I learned how to drive stick, do donuts and reverse drops at 14 in a parking lot from my friends, not my parents.

At the same time if a bunch of teenagers are vaping anyways, it's real easy for "that kid" (there's always at least one) to say, "Hey man, try this!" "This" could be any of the illicit substances you are worried about.

I can see merit on both sides, but it's likely a non-issue since most seem to agree with age restrictions. I also completely agree Amolsen about the "giving ammo" argument. Unfortunately, existence is all the ammo tyrants of all stripes need.

 

[amolson]

At the same time if a bunch of teenagers are vaping anyways, it's real easy for "that kid" (there's always at least one) to say, "Hey man, try this!" "This" could be any of the illicit substances you are worried about.

This is a great point. If YOU don't ban things for silly reasons, especially the 'everyone else is doing it' reason and YOU trust your kid to behave responsibly with something like vaping and YOU stand up to tyrants who try to control people just because they can it will pay off. Because then your child will trust you not to do the same things to them.

It's that simple. If YOU don't tolerate being told what to do and how to live simply to fit in, you're teaching your child not to give in to their friends just to fit in.

Amazing how that works, isn't it?

And about the ammo, well, that's what bullet proof vests are for. Or at least a very thick skin. I've had friends shot, beaten, and so far not killed, thankfully, for their non-standard life choices. I've been lucky. But, well, if it comes to it, that's the price.

Fortunately, most people aren't outraged enough, at least in most places, not to try to kill or beat vapers. But my wife was accused of killing her own father because she didn't 'fit in'. She's also been legally accused, twice, of child abuse, again most likely because she's different.

If she can stand up to that, so can I.

 

[cbrite]

My daughter asked for her own mod for her birthday, to use 0-nicotine flavors with her friends. Recalling that I started smoking at her age because of peer pressure, I thought why not let her try it if it might keep her from starting smoking?

Exactly how I started smoking 50+ years ago in my college dorm. It was a big deal to learn to smoke. Dumb us!! Too bad there were no e-cigs then. When I look at my cute little pink twist with a pink Aspire BDC tank that I bought only because it was pink, I often think that a dorm full of young women in the mid-60s would have gone for the "pinkness" and 0 nic vs the smokes.

 

[SpaceCase]

I think it should be restricted to 18+ only because it solves some headaches that can crop up in addition to the fact that PG/VG haven't been proven safe to inhale yet (or even safer to inhale) then smoke. There is some good indication that it is indeed safer, but along with alchohol it comes from the idea of being informed and according the the law you aren't informed unless you are 18. (I hate 21 as the drinking age as an aside. You're either an adult or you aren't.)
As far as from the community itself, some people probably feel that it cheapens what they are doing in some way. I know there are some smokers that I have run into that look at me funny because I refuse to smoke cigarettes. I smoked, I never liked smoking all that much but still did it too often. On and Off again. This way, I at least enjoy myself and don't wake up with screaming migraines.

 

[Forkeh]

I've got no problem with it. I think it needs to remain 18+ though. It would be difficult, confusing, and open to mistakes to regulate 0mg juice differently than nicotine juice. Plus we don't know for sure that it's safe.

I am, however, not convinced that vaping isn't bad for your teeth. It does dry out the mouth and insufficient saliva is known to increase tooth decay. And god knows what the pg is doing.

 

[BaxterB]

I have never had any issue with recreational vapers! When you think about it, all of us are kind of recreational vapers =D. I know I enjoy ever aspect of it! I definitely think that the sale of electronic cigarettes and their associated supplies should be restricted to adults. I can definitely see the validity of the arguments against the age restriction, but I feel like we need to know more about them, to settle the debate about the health risks associated with their use, before we consider making them available to people under 18.

 

[BuddhaAryi]

I'm doing it for health purposes and as soon as my EVOD gets here Im gonna Vape some Tumeric and other anti inflammatory EJuice I made. To see what it does I will report back.

 

[jaxgator]

Another vote for live and let live here.

I hate 21 as the drinking age as an aside. You're either an adult or you aren't.

That bothers the hell out of me too. "Here son, here's a gun. Go kill the enemy.' Yeah, you're old enough to die for this country but sorry, NO ALCOHOL FOR YOU!!!

 

[SpaceCase]

Another vote for live and let live here.



That bothers the hell out of me too. "Here son, here's a gun. Go kill the enemy.' Yeah, you're old enough to die for this country but sorry, NO ALCOHOL FOR YOU!!!

That's one of the top things, and while we haven't had a draft in a long time, the fact that they can force an 18 year old to fight, but not allow them to have a drink is something that I have an issue with. In addition it's slightly stupid to have scale levels of adult hood at all. I honestly wouldn't care if drinking was 21 if voting was 21 and enlistment was 21. I want the consistency of it. Though the whole fact that the states were strong armed into a 21 year old drinking age is fairly annoying in and of itself.

 

[yzer]

I don't buy the label "recreational vaper". I just don't.

 

[gandymarsh]

The age issue isn't a black and white, right or wrong issue.

Here's a scenario:

I was watching/listening to a vaping video on YouTube. I started reading the comments below and the first one was from a 15 year old who smoked. He started because, at one point, he was hanging with a group that smoked. He since quit associating with that group but still smoked because of the addiction. He wanted desperately to quit but was having a very hard time. He wanted to start vaping, hoping that it would help him quit smoking. Because he is underage, he can't, legally, buy equipment or juice.

Most of the replies were on the order of "No, you shouldn't smoke or vape. You are underage" and variations of that.

So what are his choices?

Continue to smoke
Try to quit "Cold Turkey"
Talk to his parents and hope they understand and have a solution
Get vaping equipment and juice illegally

I don't have the answer but I know that I started smoking around that age and I'm sure it's what started the long term habit that I fought for so long.

 

[madpiano]

I don't think 0 nic should be for over 18s only. Why should it be difficult to control? Equipment can be sold to anyone, juice with nic to over 18s only. Just like alcohol. I can go to a drinks shop as a 14 year old and buy pop but have to be 18 to buy alcohol. Easy.
And teenagers would most likely buy vape sticks or simple devices that look cool. The more mainstream it goes the better.
But shouldn't caffeine be restricted to over 18s as well?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Bernard Marx]

Maybe over time as smoking becomes even less commonplace the new generation of vapers will have less prejudice directed towards them.

 

[amolson]

That's always a problem with any age restricted substance or behavior. We bar teens from full time legal employment, forcing some of them into occupations like illegal prostitution and drug sales.

As long as there are age related restrictions, there are issues like this. It's legal for a teen to have a beer in Berlin. It's illegal for an octogenarian to have a glass of wine in Mecca. That's the way the world works. :shrug:

Don't know if there's any 'fix' out there. I'm too busy taking care of myself and my peeps.

 

[D808]

18+ adult recreational vapers are awesome! Seeing a 5 yr old vaping would look odd, let's not forget about the safety concerns here as well. It takes a responsible adult to build a quality atty!

 

[amolson]

Yeah, I also think it's just wrong to put a nipple on a coke bottle to feed it to a baby. But some really bad parents do that. We don't have age restrictions on soda.

Of course I'm a horrible person and think there's even a time and place for even young children to be allowed very small amounts of alcohol. Especially for things like the Passover Seder or other religious observances. Ok, and if they're just crying and crying and crying because they're teething, a little whiskey can do wonders. Well, more than a bit. You put whiskey on their gums and take a shot yourself. Repeat until either the whiskey numbs their gums or numbs your ears.

(Below if you think all children should be protected from everything all the time no matter what, pretend I'm talking about 0 nic vaping)
Vaping, yeah, I don't think kids should be doing it any more than they should be dieting, sucking down huge quantities of soda (caffinated or non), living on fast food or otherwise being mangled. But the alternative, taking them away from their parents and having the state raise them or put them in foster homes, not better.

And that's why if I were 'benevolent dictator for life' I probably would yank all the restrictions on vaping and vaping products. From what I've seen, read and know about biology, even moderate McDonald's use is probably more harmful than vaping. I also seriously doubt vaping is any more harmful than energy drinks which are 100% legal to purchase in all states at any age. Don't even get me started on No-Doze and caffeine pills, which can really mess someone up and a five year old can buy these. Heck, McDonald's advertises to children! It's one of the most poisonous things someone can put in their body short of oh, say, soda.

So I'd leave it up to parents to parent. IF they want to put a nipple on a coke bottle or feed their toddler chicken McNuggets, ugh, yeah, it's gross. But, that's the price of not having the government and the police dictate every aspect of everyone's lives. Government creche's might sound like a great idea, but in practice, well, look at Romania under Kosciusko. They just don't work that well compared to actual parents who are involved with raising their own children.

 

[DeltaV]

As far as the 15-year-old trying to quit, I think he should talk to his parents about wanting to switch to vaping and ask if they will help him. How is he getting his cigarettes? I think the parents should take some responsibility about letting their child end up as a smoker, and help him to quit or switch to an alternative.

But for me, personally, I don't know how I feel about letting minors purchase 0 nic and/or equipment. The fact is, we don't know what the consequences could be of long-term vaping. It's been around for less than a decade, after all. I think it's healthier than cigarettes, but it doesn't mean there won't be consequences. And besides, 0 nic isn't really a viable alternative to quit smoking. But all of this is kinda moot once the kid gets a bank account. I mean, it's easy enough to buy things online and just click the "Yeah, I'm 18+" button, once you have a way of making those purchases (like a debit card).

 

[Miona0205]

I started because there is 0 nic juice out there, I was on a low carb, no sugar diet, and was craving for sweets, and found out the vaping was my way to go ;D no sugar but still yummy

 

[amolson]

Oh yeah, I get that one. Once I found out there were non-sweet vapes out there, I was all on it.

THEN I realized there are some good sweet ones that don't taste like artificial sweetener. Hmmmmm, well, ok, maybe some sweet is ok, as long as it isn't gross. I even ordered a sample of Virgin Vapor's Kona Velvet Milkshake. What can I say, I love White Russians and ... we'll see. Once I start getting in some samples I'll be posting reviews.

Especially on low-carb, which I also do. Now that would be really controversial, but I'm betting there are more than a few people out there who've used 0 nic vaping as a weight loss method. It's apocryphal, but talking to one woman in a vape shop, she said she knew someone who lost 40 pounds vaping. I can see it. Now if someone could come up with oh, say, potato chip vapor, I'd be in heaven. Even corn chip would be fine. I've even thought of trying bacon, if I could get some cheap enough.