Thursday, October 8, 2015

What's keeping me up at night?

The fact that we, the vaping industry, are being treated, classified and regulated in the same way that the tobacco industry is. They are treating us like Coke and Pepsi, when in reality we are more like Oil and Water. I can't even think of anything more completely opposite.

After Bill 60 here in Nova Scotia, we felt like we had a victory. I do not believe that to be true now. Granted, we were not shut down, but now public perception is that we are just another form of smoking tobacco and the media isn't helping when it comes to clearing up that misconception.

The worst thing that could have happened did happen. We got ourselves lumped into the same category as big tobacco. We are NOT tobacco. In fact we are the direct competition to tobacco. And not like Coke vs Pepsi, but more like whale hunters vs Greenpeace, or ??? (I really can't think of anything that is more polar opposite.)

Oh no, they say, you will have your own classification. Yet, there we are in the black and white, in the 'Tobacco' Access Act. This is even after producing evidence that we are in no way a tobacco product. You will get exemptions for vape shops, that was a flat out lie, it was conveniently left out of the final draft of the legislation. Oh, and they also assure us that they will never tax us as tobacco. Ya, after all this? I don't trust that anymore.

How did this happen?

We just were not prepared for the interactions with politicians. We thought that we could win with science and logic on our side. The politicians said all the right things and patted us on the back until we realized that what they were doing was inserting a knife.

Now they have us by the short hairs. We have been inserted into the Tobacco Access Act. Every day when I open the door to the shop, I stare at this.


And every day, I begin a slow burn. I am angered and completely offended by having the word TOBACCO on the door of our shop, in which WE DO NOT SELL TOBACCO!!!!!!!!

The following is the speech I presented to the Law Amendments Committee. Along with lab results of the e-liquid showing no tobacco content. All on public record.

Madam Chair, members of the committee: 
My name is Eva and I am co-owner of the End Vapor Shop in New Glasgow and Truro.

I thank you for allowing me to speak today on the matter of amendments proposed to the smoke free places act. Bill #60. 
Electronic cigarettes must not be defined as a tobacco product because it, quite simply, is NOT a tobacco product and in fact is in direct competition with tobacco. That being said, I submit test results that indicates that the eliquid we and other vendors sell has no tobacco content.  As the bill is presently worded, it is clear that the honorable minister of health is not aware of the obvious distinction between tobacco flavors and flavored tobacco.  
Looking at the list of 4000+ chemicals and known carcinogens in traditional tobacco cigarettes and comparing them with the 4 ingredients in the eliquid (none of which are tobacco by the way)  I personally concluded (albeit, not scientifically) that you really don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that this is  safer alternative. But you don’t have to take my word for that, in recent years, there have been an overabundance of scientific research that proves just that. And my business partner will supply you with that information.  
As vendors and a consumers, we welcome sensible regulation of the electronic cigarette industry separate from tobacco. In fact, we already self regulate, in that we refuse to sell to minors. We require proper labeling of the ejuice, child proof bottles, proper safety certifications on all our hardware  and independent lab testing of the liquid by a Health Canada accredited testing facility. I submit also our suggestions on regulating electronic cigarettes as a separate entity from tobacco. 
What I and others object to is electronic cigarettes being labeled as a tobacco product. Aside from the fact there is no tobacco present in the liquid, we view traditional tobacco as a direct competitor to our industry. I personally object to the Honorable minister of health’s attempt to redefine tobacco to include something that is absolutely not a tobacco product.

This is like saying, we will be banning apples and by the way the definition of apples will now be extended to include... staplers. I am thinking Webster’s may take issue with that.  
I am perplexed as to why the Honorable Minister of Health thinks we need anything else besides age restrictions for entry to vape shops. That alone would obviously negate the concern that we would be marketing to children. Now, I am not a drinker so I was aghast to learn that this was not a requirement for the NSLC stores, which openly displays bubblegum flavored vodka and Caramilk cream liquor. (what’s more kid friendly than a chocolate bar?) 
Flavored ejuice is just that...flavored. It consists of propylene glycol (flavorless), vegetable glycerine (flavorless), may or may not contain nicotine (also flavorless) and food grade flavoring. Even tobacco flavored ejuice is just that….tobacco flavored, not flavored tobacco. The distinction must be made and I think this is where the Honorable minister  of health is confused. Take away the flavoring and we are left with flavorless vapor. People don’t even drink flavorless water anymore. 
Vapers may start off with a tobacco flavoring, but most quickly find  the flavor of tobacco objectionable. After all it was never the taste of a cigarette that got us hooked. The majority of our customers are over 40 and enjoy having a variety of flavors available to them.  
Clearly I am not a child. However, I enjoy vaping fruit and candy flavors. Tobacco ‘flavors’ (not to be confused with tobacco that is flavored) in no way appeals to me. Saying that flavors only appeal to children is ludicrous, unless you contend that all Canadians upon reaching the age of 19 exist on cream of wheat and water? I did not think so.  
Removing the flavorings from ejuice will effectively shut down the legitimate industry and send those consumers into either the black market or worse, back to smoking traditional tobacco. Today I can tell you I will never  smoke another tobacco cigarette, as long as this is an available alternative.  
Not letting the public see their choices in delivery systems (which incidentally look nothing like cigarettes) and prohibiting point of sale marketing would be crippling to our business. Again, this is not a cigarette where all you have to do is light the right end and go. People benefit from hands on demonstration of the product and instruction on care, use, proper handling of the device. 
It is distressing to me that our honorable minister of health has brought forth this bill without the slightest understanding as to what this product is or how it works. Please, stop calling it tobacco. There is no more tobacco in this than there is in the coffee you drank this morning. 
All I am asking is that before you jump on to this particular band wagon, you avail yourselves of the research that is available and make an informed decision about the inclusion of electronic cigarettes in Bill No. 60 and the proposed changes to the amendment. Please consider what this will do, not only to the dozen or so strictly vaping businesses in Nova Scotia that will inevitably be shut down, but also how this will affect the thousands of Nova Scotian tax payers that will lose this ability to continue on with this safer alternative to traditional tobacco. 
This bill is old fashioned slight of hand designed to make it impossible for any MLA in the house (regardless of their affiliation) to vote against it. It’s battle cry? THINK OF THE CHILDREN AND GET RID OF FLAVORED TOBACCO ONCE AND FOR ALL! Then in the fine print it exempt the only flavored tobacco that anyone is even aware of. In reality it is a direct shot across the bow of anyone who tries to compete with big tobacco. 
I am NOT a smoker, this is NOT tobacco and must not be lumped into the same category. I suggest that you remove mention of electronic cigarettes from this bill. If the Honorable minister of Health  would like to propose sensible regulation on electronic cigarettes as its own consumer product separate from tobacco, I am sure we would all be open to that. 
The only thing this bill, as presently worded, will accomplish is the destruction of the most effective form of tobacco harm reduction to date and serves only to protect traditional tobacco from its only real competition.

Thank you for your time.
I really thought that I, and the other approximately 50 speakers, got through to them. When the committee sat down for Law Amendments, they had no idea that the bill in front of them was complete and utterly useless.

There was not a single MLA in that building, (and believe me by the end of the day, every single one of them made an appearance at committee) not one of them understood that e-juice contains NO TOBACCO.

Think about that for a minute. 'CONTAINS NO TOBACCO'.

If you could have seen the look on their faces when they realized that. The Liberals especially were embarrassed that they had supported a bill for a ban on tobacco that would have absolutely no effect on tobacco.

Had everyone just sat back, this bill would have been a slam dunk for the Liberal majority government.

Until the legislation (Bill 60) was introduced, I and pretty much everyone I have spoken to was only aware of one flavor of tobacco and that would be menthol. Thanks to the liberal government I (and any kid that watches the news) am now aware of watermelon cigarellos.

Sounds like the LIBERALS are the ones responsible for marketing flavored tobacco to children. Great job!

I could go on forever, but in my opinion, the new fight has to be to get e-cigarettes separated completely from traditional tobacco. Period.

For my own sanity and for the sake of all smokers looking for a better tobacco harm reduction option, I need that sign off the door.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Trump for President?

At first I thought it was a joke. I don't own a TV so I just go online every once in a while to CNN or something and catch up on all the shit I care nothing about.

So, I see Trump and listen to him go full retard on national TV and think...this is a joke, right? A gag? Punking the nation.

But it keeps on going. Day after day. I opened the page one day and it was a rally with thousands of people holding signs that said Trump for President. 

Shit just got serious. 

They are not seriously going to consider this crayon, are they? I mean, this is mass idiocracy, am I right?

To the moe rons who are thinking of actually voting for this clown.

HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MINDS?

No joke. 

Legit question.




Sunday, August 30, 2015

Breastfeeding in public.

First of all, why?

Why do you have to breastfeed in Walmart. I get it, if its a restaurant. But Walmart? Target?

When was the last time you saw a family throw a blanket on the floor in aisle 10 and have lunch?

Think about it.

JUST STOP IT!

All children go through a period of being an asshole. How you handle that period of their life determines if they remain an asshole.

You want to know how to stop the bullying? Take responsibility for your little asshole. There is no way you don't know you are raising an asshole. You live with it. And I don't care how diabolical your little asshole is, he/she cannot switch it on and off. You have witnessed the asshole'ness in your home, and there is no way you think that that is reserved just for you.

You KNOW you are raising an asshole. STOP IT! If you throw your hands up and give up, it is the rest of the world that suffers. 

When the bullying results in harm to another human, I think the parents of that little asshole should be made to pay. Incentive for those parents to actually 'parent' those children.

Keep it up, and when I am Queen I will make you pay.

Monday, April 20, 2015

OH, WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

Politicians like to say that ejuice companies are marketing to children with flavors like Bubble Gum and Cotton Candy.

How stupid would that be? They say children and they are right. Children, (like) 4-11 year olds go ape shit over any type of candy. They are actual kids. However, in this instance they show you pictures of teens.

Lets just get around the psychology of that for a second. 

"~~I am a teen ager. I am contemplating smoking, with all the other cool teenagers in the smoke pit. (the cool is perceived, but I am dumb, I am a teenager) But now there are new things out there (I do not live under a rock and I am a teenager, I WILL try it) called ecigs. I have one and approach the smoke pit with it. There are other vapers there. ~~"

"Hey, (other cool kid) What flavor are you vaping?"

There is not a teen on this planet that wants to say, "Oh its Bubble Gum!" They might as well wear a sign that says, "Ridicule me mercilessly until I puke!"

I can say that I am vaping bubble gum...I am an adult and no longer give a shit what others think is cool. I vape it for the flavor not for the stupid name. Some of it is nostalgic.

So, cutsy flavors are appealing to the 4-11 year olds, but they have no money so who cares? THEY CAN'T BUY IT, THEY HAVE NO MONEY! And if you are an adult and have said 4-11 year olds living in your home with your kid-appealing ejuice flavors, it is on you to police that shit. Not me.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Spider Racism.

I have discovered I am a spider racist.

I used to say, "I hate spiders!" Period.

But, I realize I don't hate all spiders. Just those asshole homeless spiders.

So, you got a spider up in the corner of the room, he is on his little web, doing his thing, minding his own fuckin' business. I am totally okay with that. I even talk to him and get worried when he hasn't moved in a while. Right now for instance, I believe he is dead, but I don't plan on getting close enough to get his vitals.

That spider, I am fine with.  Unless, of course,
you check the web and he is gone. Then all bets are off! Stay in your own neighborhood, Brah, or I will pop a cap in your ass!

This spider, however, is an asshole and as such has been blasted with the first thing that I could grab. Shaving cream would have been better, but it was 3 inches farther away than the baby powder. He is lucky I don't own a rifle. I believe this one is dead as well, but again, not checking for vitals.

Who raises these spiders? Where do they come from and why are they not just content with building a web and raising their children right. Raising them to not be assholes who spring up from the drain to scare the living shit out of people.

Sneaky-assholes homeless spiders. I am against them. There, I said it. I am a spider racist...and I am okay with it.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

The future looks bright.

So, as far as Bill 60 goes, we might be in pretty good shape.  It's still up in the air but it looks like the government might make a law that separates us from tobacco legislation. Here's hoping.

During a recent consultation with the Dept of Health and Wellness it appeared that the government is open to the fact that ecigs have to be legislated differently than tobacco. The meeting went well and we left hopeful.

Some interesting stuff coming up in our future. Starting to spread the joy a little bit and are going to start to wholesale our exclusive juice vendors to other brick and mortars. As well, we have decided to bring in a whole new juice line, Mad Mikes. 

Just getting the lab set up now and with a little luck we should be shelving it in a couple of weeks.

And another thing...

Got a tattoo the other day. 

Really didn't intend on getting one, was at the tattoo shop to talk to the artist about painting my car. Once there he said, "Are you sure you don't want a tattoo? I have time right now." 

Well, I just happened to be carrying around the graphics for a tattoo that I had been thinking about for a few years now. So I pull out the pic.

"Oh ya...I can do that in an hour or so."

I am really starting to sweat, I was not prepared. I mean, I don't give a shit who you are, tattoos hurt. Like HELL!

Not sure if I was hoping it would stall him but I mentioned that I wanted the little reaper to be holding a guitar instead of a scythe. He was quick and had a sketch in a few minutes. I was cornered.


It's a bit angry right now, but I think it turned out pretty good. He still has to shade some more white and put The Boy's birth date in there.

...and again.

Coming up on my 5 year vape'aversary.

A lot has happened in 5 years. Some sadness, some failures and some successes.

I think I might try blogging again. Sorry...may not fill in the blanks.