It has been reported that Indonesia is one of the world’s smoking hotspots, and commentators have noted a rapid growth in the number of vape shops. The more attuned have linked the growth in vaping to smokers attempting to switch out from their dangerous addiction. Not the local politicians though, who care more for the paper lining their pockets than the health of their voters.
Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita has come up with a solution to a problem he just invented: convert all the new vapers into regular smokers. He set out his plan to ban juice imports, and added: “Yes, we’ll catch them if they’re still importing, so that electric smokers will be changed into regular smokers.”
Vapers would be well advised to heed any Indonesian ban, should the full thing come about, as the country uses firing squads from time to time to solve the abuse of other banned substances.
The Indian government likes to conflate smoking with vaping too. In their latest advisory, it tells the “smoking” public: “The public will be advised, in their own interest, not to use any [electronic cigarette] products, sold or marketed in any form and under any name or brand.”
The challenged individual who announced the advisory said: “Though companies claim that e-cigarettes help give up smoking, but in reality they help initiate cigarette smoking as they deliver nicotine in an attractive way and attract youth.”
If we are on the topic of challenges, then Brits visiting the United Arab Emirates face a big one: being caught vaping in or around any of the shopping malls in Dubai will now leave the vaper facing a fine of over £400.
Vaping where you have been told not to has landed Scott Sinclair in a bit of bother too. The bus driver from Dundee was sacked after one of his passengers complained about him vaping while driving. CCTV footage cleared him of using a mobile phone, but one of his bosses said they saw him driving while holding an ecig.
Tayside Public Transport sacked Sinclair for gross misconduct, but he took them to an employment tribunal. He said he hadn’t vaped, just raised it to his lips because he was trying to give up smoking. He sought to be given his job back and money. The tribunal judge said: “The dismissal was not unfair. The claim is therefore dismissed.”
And dismissed is how some patients may be feeling in Hertfordshire. The NHS trust has announced that smokers and the obese will be denied elective surgery. Herts smokers may well be advised to try vaping, as they will have to quit for at least 8 weeks prior to an operation, according to latest proposals. Ian Eardley, Royal College of Surgeons, said: “Singling out patients in this way goes against the principles of the NHS.”
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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