Vaping’s Last Stand?
Facing up to the regulators – could these two pieces of work be the defining moments for vaping?
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by Dave Cross
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Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd & thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well
You Are Being Lied ToIt's time the world knows. You are being lied to. Pass it on.#ABillionLives
Posted by A Billion Lives on Friday, 20 November 2015
“You are being lied to”, goes the tagline to the A Billion Lives documentary. The director, Aaron Biebert, explained in an interview how the false studies and media bias drove him to make a film that had to be made. It is a film that shows how money from pharmaceutical and tobacco companies has corrupted governments – and how vaping is suffering.
Biebert doesn’t vape or smoke, his motivation comes from the fact that a billion lives will be lost through smoking-related illnesses by the end of the century unless vaping is accepted.
He recalls how the anti-vaping campaigners were reluctant to appear on camera because their organisations benefit to the tune of billions of dollars a year in donations and funding by maintaining the status quo.
The film is set for release in mid-2016 and is bound to ruffle some feathers. We can only speculate as to whether it will have an impact and reverse the coverage being given to the anti-ecig message. You can sign up for email updates here or follow their Facebook timeline.
We, in the UK, are set to discover the preliminary ruling on Totally Wicked’s case against Article 20 just before Christmas. If successful it throws European plans to restrict liquids and devices up in the air – but given the money at stake can we be assured of a just outcome?
With us facing a de-facto ban on vaping as we know it, a restriction in choice and the crushing of small businesses, the 100K Campaign is more than just another petition. In many ways it is the final roll of the dice. Support for previous petitions has ranged from lukewarm to abject indifference, Totally Wicked being the only one to gain traction – and even then barely reflective of the number of vapers in the UK.
Let’s be perfectly clear here: the juice you vape will more than likely be unavailable after the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) is implemented. The devices we use will be banned from sale, small companies will close, as they will be unable to afford to go through the certification process, while forums and YouTube channels will have to cease “promoting” vaping.
For those who have a stock of nicotine base in the freezer, it will eventually run out. For those who think they will be able to carry on importing from China, there is the distinct possibility of China banning vaping devices too. There is a war being waged on free choice because, as the film above highlights, there is too much money at stake.
The campaign relies on the fact that we face a referendum on our membership of Europe. Within the UK there are an estimated 2.8 million adult vapers – that is a vast number of votes. We are a sizeable voting block who could hold the balance in what is set to be a very tight ballot.
The petition calls for the UK government to seek an opt-out from the TPD from Brussels in order to avoid a guaranteed humiliating defeat in 2016. Signing the petition doesn’t mean you have to vote one way or the other come the EU referendum, but it gives you the opportunity to force change on ecig policy.
This will be the final opportunity you, your friends and family have to influence the outcome for vapers and future smokers who would like to quit using ecigs. This is a final call to arms: SIGN THE PETITION.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
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 vape companies to develop content for their websites.
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EU Commission Called Out
The World Vapers' Alliance calls out the EU Commission's hostile stance on Tobacco Harm Reduction in light of Tobacco Product Directive consultation findings
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A major new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights Sweden’s success in going smoke-free with the help of less harmful cigarette alternatives
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