Vapers should worry about any bans on flavoured tobacco products

Once again my local paper The Edmonton Journal showcases the prohibitionist Les Hagen and his fight against tobacco in all its forms and in particular what he calls “fruity spit tobacco”.

As vapers we should be concerned about this for at least two reasons.

1. It is still uncertain how e-cigarettes will end up being classified in this country. If they end up categorized as tobacco products any ban on flavours could be applied to eliquids.
2. If any strength is gained in further vilifying flavour, this could paint e-cigarettes negatively.

As most readers will already agree, everybody likes flavour – even children.

If nicotine is as low harm as we think it is then why all the concern? Flavoured smokeless tobacco products might lead to lifelong addiction. Yes, and? If the person enjoys it or finds it enhances life in any way, and does little harm, why not?

There are many things that we don’t encourage kids to do – use nicotine, use caffeine, drive cars, drink alcohol – and somehow in most of these cases we have managed to preserve adult pleasures. Maybe we should be banning mocha and other flavoured coffee drinks just in case the kids get hooked on caffeine – hooked in a lifelong strong addiction.

Even if the use is harmful – does it also have to be unpleasurable?

Though I vape about 99% of the time on occasion I like to indulge in a pipe tobacco cigar. A flavoured tobacco product. Is there any good reason I should not have that pleasure? And if I decided to smoke 20 of those a day, does anyone have the right to interfere with my choice and my pleasure?

I think we all know that the acceptance of encroaching on smokers’ rights is what has paved the path to doing the same to vapers.