Vaping Hitting The News
Vaping Hitting The News: Vaping is a story that the media continue to love for page hits
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by Dave Cross
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Famous names don’t come much bigger than Leonardo DiCaprio who, according to Cacuq Electronic Cigarette wholesale news site, “seems to become the embodiment of expert of smoking cessation for he coming with the e-cigs all the way in whatever circumstances such as shopping.”
Strangled language aside, they have a point: “apart from the embraces and kisses with Kate Winslet, e-cig on his hand is also another partner with Leo.” From attending award ceremonies to languishing on tropical beaches, “As he began vaping, his life quality has been improved and he has become healthier. As a star, his act and vaping habit has aroused people’ s attention.”
This kind of celebrity endorsement worries those opposed to harm reduction because they tie it to the boom in people trying vaping as an alternative to smoking. Over half a million adults in New York are reported to have used e-cigarettes: “Vaping has skyrocketed among young people, while the smoking of traditional cigs has plummeted. There is a debate about the health risks of vaping, with e-cigs seen as less harmful than traditional cigs but still deemed unsafe.”
Papers seem bent on giving a balanced approach to coverage, even if the opposite opinion is without substance. There might be a debate but reasonable scientists most certainly do not deem vaping as “unsafe”, the British scientific and medical communities, by and large, adhere to a harm reduction approach that recognizes ecigs are at least 95% safer than smoking.
It’s the false balance’ offered up that drives people to make stupid decisions – they adopt a ‘we’d better err on the side of caution just in case’ approach. It’s what drove councilors in Tunbridge Wells to push for a ban on taxi drivers vaping.
Licencing committee chairman Bob Backhouse spoke to his local paper: “Further to complaints from members of the public concerning taxi drivers who have vaped while driving, I was asked 'is this illegal?' 'Is this against taxi regulations?' We discovered we only had a policy that stops smoking in taxis and obviously in the light of the widespread growth of vaping this needs to be amended.”
“Owing to the fact that we were about to make a public consultation with taxi drivers and members of the public, the licensing committee thought it best to incorporate this issue in that consultation. At the meeting councillors agreed that for people with asthma or other breathing difficulties it was considered anti-social for anyone to vape in a taxi, drivers or passengers.”
So, instead of making an informed decision based on the science they are going to hide behind the misinformed and blinkered views of those who like to moan to their weekly periodical. People like Toni Conlon: “I think banning e-cigs in taxis is a good thing because they can leave a pungent smell in the taxi and that's not going to be pleasant for the next customer.”
Maybe next week The Tunbridge Wells Courier can carry a story about banning car air fresheners?
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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