“So, you like vaping. You’re happy, healthy, you’re enjoying it. It’s pleasurable, it’s fun, it’s all good,” begins the man known for his comprehensive posts on his Counterfactual blog and frequent Twitter tweets.
The former Head of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH UK) is setting out why he believes it’s important for vapers to support the New Nicotine Alliance (NNA).
“…It’s all good…except it isn’t all good. What’s not good about it is that a lot of people don’t like what you’re doing. Whether it’s public health organisations, government, European Union, local councils – you name it, there’s a whole bunch of people who would like to stop you doing what you’re doing, and make it as restrictive and as difficult as possible.”
This all sounds slightly depressing, Clive. Thanks for that. The person reading this page is probably holding a mod and enjoying a vape at this very minute – and now filled with the sense that an inevitable dark cloud is brewing.
“There is something that you can do about that, and that is that you can join up with the New Nicotine Alliance, the main consumer campaigning organisation for vapers in the UK.”
The NNA, in their words, developed from a group of individuals who - by themselves and through their links with leading smoking and tobacco researchers and policy analysts – have contributed in the last two years to improving individual, organisational and public understanding of what is known as ‘tobacco harm reduction’.
Clive Bates carries on, listing the action vapers can take: “There are three things you can do: you can give them some money. Get your hand in your pocket and do the right thing. They work on a tiny budget but make very good use of it. Secondly, get involved: do the writing in, get involved in the politics, and talk to your representatives. And then thirdly, encourage others to do the same. Get others to put their hands in their pocket and get up and get active – then you’re really doing the right thing.”
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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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