BLOG #4 - VAPING ADVOCACY
BLOG #4 - VAPING ADVOCACY
What is Vaping Advocacy?
The Vaping Industry is an exciting new industry using a modern technology in a revolutionary way to help people quit using deadly tobacco products! It has grown incredibly rapidly because vapers know it works, and those who try it can see that it is a vast improvement over smoking. As it has grown, while many people see its value and utility, there are others who do not understand it (usually non-smokers who think you should “just quit”). There are also those who dislike the technology, and still others who, for whatever reason, actively fight for its demise. Comprised as it is of so many entrepreneurs, innovators, and small businesses, the vaping industry has no deep corporate pockets to dig into to defend itself from the huge lobby groups who have begun to oppose it. That is where Vaping Advocacy comes in.
Why we Advocate?
There are many reasons to advocate to save our vaping industry. The most basic is that if we do not, we may lose it. The consequence of that is the unnecessary expense, sickness and possible death of many. There are also other reasons such as:
Our Section 7 Charter Right to choose… One of the basic rights we have as Canadian citizens is the right to choose a less harmful alternative to any harmful activity. We know that smoking is harmful, there is no question that science has proven that over 48000 Canadians will die from smoking related illness in the next year (and next year, and the year after that). It is proven, by hundreds of scientific studies from around the world, that Vaping is a significantly less harmful way to get nicotine. So why is our government ignoring that Charter Right? There are many reasons, but the point is that they should not be! And we need to tell them that! Again, the need to advocate!
Harm Reduction… There are thousands upon thousands of testimonies from Vapers who feel so much better to not be a smoker. There are hundreds of studies that prove vaping to reduce harm over smoking. There are no cases of cancer. There are no cases of lung damage. There are no cases of death from Nicotine Vaping. Zero. Many anti-vape organizations have tried and failed to find some smoking gun to show that vaping is harmful. If you look closely at every anti-vape study, they are either based on opinion or they use faulty science to push an agenda. Health Canada has a core mandate to protect the health and safety of all Canadians. With their heavy-handed villainizing approach, they have failed adult Canadians who would like to stop using tobacco; they have abandoned the core principle of harm reduction.
Freedom… Since when did adult Canadians stop having the freedom to choose to indulge in an enjoyable stress reducing activity that hurts no-one and provides benefits to their health and finances? Since when did Health Canada, or any government earn the right to dictate what we can or cannot do to improve our lives with no harm to others? We pay our taxes, contribute to society, obey the laws, and are citizens of a free nation. Besides, since when did the government or the fundraising orgs ever demonstrate that they can manage anything effectively? Do we really want them managing our health too?
Advocacy Efforts
Consumers – the entire Vaping industry has grown out of consumer demand. In Canada where we are not allowed to advertise, it has grown primarily by consumer word of mouth. By now we all know someone who has quit or reduced their smoking through vaping. It is the consumer talking to friends and family, emailing their local politicians, demonstrating by their own successes that vaping can work, who make the greatest impact.
Social media – there are now almost thirty-two million Canadians using social media. As we see repeatedly that the old mainstream media sources are increasingly bought and paid for by our politicians to push their own social agendas, people are finding increasingly more reasons to use social media to get their news and connect with others. The vaping industry is no exception, and even though we are prevented from directly advertising on most platforms, we can still find like minded people and talk about vaping in our own pages, groups, and forums.
Political outreach – this can be intimidating but is extremely important. Our politicians need to recognize that the over one million vapers in Canada represent over one million votes. In an election where a couple hundred votes could mean the difference between winning and losing, our numbers have a voice that matters! There are good, elected members among them who are uninformed and would like to hear from us. Email or talk to your MP or MPP. They put their pants on one leg at a time, just like us!
Petitions and surveys – Whenever you see a chance to contribute positively to the cause of vaping through a petition or a survey, please take a moment to do so. Every vote or entry has value in a democratic society. Add enough grains of sand and the scales begin to tip. Here is the latest advocacy effort; Health Canada wants your feedback. Please fill out the following five question survey before April 27th. https://www.tvpareview.ca/en
Get Involved – let’s get involved! Do our part! Help save the industry that has helped save so many lives!
Advocacy Groups and Links – CVA, VITA, VAEP, R4V, Regwatch, are a few of the Canadian Advocacy groups that have grown from the grassroots vaping community. There are many more in the USA and around the world.
https://www.rights4vapers.com/
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