Don't Be "That" Vaper

Proper Etiquette When Using an E-Cigarette or Personal Vaporizer

We have all seen them, groups of vapers who are in a crowded public place just a chuckin' away while onlookers gawk in horror, not fully understanding what exactly is coming out of their mouths. Some think it's smoke, others know it's vapor but still clutch their children close as if cancer will immediately seize them should they inhale any secondhand vapor. 

There are so many people in the world who have yet to even lay eyes on a vape device or even if they have, may not fully understand it. Even though using a vaping device isn't smoking, some people who are ill informed may look at it the same way or possibly even worse. We still have our work cut out for us when it comes to raising awareness and until the rest of the world fully understands what the vapor is, we should probably be respectful and open minded. We can't blanket people around us in a thick cloud of dense fog and expect them to simply be ok with it, especially if they don't even know what they are being blanketed in.

Here are some things that we can do to help the vape movement and improve the general public feeling about vapers:

1. Ask permission

When you're in a restaurant, bar, or any place where smoking is not permitted, it's best to ask if you can vape. In some instances asking the owner or manager of the establishment might pique their curiosity. Giving you the opportunity to educate them on all the great things vaping has to offer instead of them being exposed to only the negative, hear-say information that's available on the web. If they tell you that you cannot vape in the establishment be polite. Don't give them any gruff about their decision as you want them to remember you being, "the respectable guy with the vape" and not some jerk who refused to stop blowing clouds.

2. Answer basic questions

People are usually curious about e-cigarettes. If you are approached by someone who begins to ask questions you should be polite and educate them. If someone approaches you in a negative way (usually out of misunderstanding) be as polite as possible and correct whatever misconceptions that they might have. Unless you are in a wide open area or outdoors such as a park where the clouds will dissipate quickly, it may be a good idea to oblige when someone asks you to stop vaping while in a relatively closed area. You don't need to be a pushover, just polite. 

You never know, by being polite and answering questions you might clear up some misconceptions, spark an interest with someone, or ultimately save someone's life.

3. Be respectful

There is plenty of research that shows exhaled vapor as being completely harmless but that doesn't mean we should go around blowing clouds in people's faces. Particularly if a person has kids around it might be a good idea to blow your vapor in the opposite direction to avoid any issue. By being respectful with your vaping you are more likely to win hearts and make people curious rather than push them away and making the angry. 

4. It's not illegal, but..

While vaping in certain areas might not be illegal, it doesn't mean that you always should. Being rude isn't illegal but most would agree they'd rather someone not be rude. Bottom line: just because something isn't illegal doesn't mean we need to inconsiderately expose it to others. If we don't respect others we may find that the vape industry will have more enemies than friends. Not good!

5. What about my "right" to vape?

Currently, there aren't any countries that have laws on the books giving a person the right to vape. It's sort of like driving, you can get a driver's license but if you drive dangerously your license will get suspended or revoked. With vaping, if we aren't respectful, our privilege will get revoked. Vaping is pretty well tolerated in most places but if we act without class we'll only be assisting the naysayers fight against us. 

All in all this isn't meant to serve as a guide to be being the high and mighty vaper. Instead just boiling down to the fact that we should all be considerate of others through life in general, and vaping so happens to be a good time to practice that. Vaper's are still very few in numbers and each person who vapes can have a big impact on our perception received from the general public. If we all do our part we can be sure that e-cigs will be here to stay. 

Vape on!