How YOU can Vape for Advocacy
In today's world advocacy matters, especially when supporting a movement or a cause that not only may save millions of lives but also directly affects you and your purchase decisions regarding your leisure activities. At the moment, Big Tobacco is threatened by the significant progress that businesses have made by providing a cigarette smoking alternative such as vaping and the various flavors, tools, and equipment that coincide with vaping. However, Big Tobacco has a lot of money! With this money, sadly, power is wielded that could potentially halt the market and force millions of people to pick up a cigarette because a safe alternative is no longer available. So now it is up to YOU! It's up to you to spread the information on a grassroots level so that more and more people may become aware of the alternative, the money hungry tobacco corporations, and of course how vaping may in fact save lives as opposed to traditional cigarette smoking.
Get out and Talk
The very first grassroots level of information spreading is literally talking to your neighbor, your friend, or those you interact with on a daily basis. Take it a step further and push yourself to talk to people who are still smoking cigarettes. Do not bombard them with health facts but simply ask them, "If given the opportunity would you quit cigarettes and use vaping as an alternative?" Most of the time the average cigarette smoker is looking to quit but is not sure how. With enough information addressed in a polite manner, in a friendly environment, it is likely that newcomers may be more open to trying an alternative to quit their habits.
Talk to your Vendor
You likely have a favorite e-liquid flavor that you regularly buy from the same location. Talk to these people who sell you your product. Ask them if they are aware of the FDA's regulations being introduced August 8th, 2016. Ask them what they have done to spread this information, fight back against it, and how they intend to stay in business. Doing so will create a larger grassroots effect allowing you the opportunity to become more involved in an industry that won't go down without a fight!
Contact your local media
You don't have to be on television, but by simply calling your local newspaper or news broadcasting agency awareness can be spread quickly. Reporters thrive off of sensationalism and the fight between vaping and big tobacco is a very controversial fight that will surely go down in history. Getting your local media involved will increase efforts dramatically at raising awareness on the subject matter that there is a alternative available for cigarette smokers and that no law should be made to end this alternative.
Write Congressmen, City Hall, Municipal Courts, etc.
Get politically involved. Writing a simple letter to your local congressmen or senator could make a substantial difference. These people are representatives for the people and it is their job to listen to you, hear you out, and understand why the fight is important on a large scale. Already many congressmen and senators are for the open sale of vaping as it is a great alternative for those who would like to quit smoking cigarettes however, the fight continues as big tobacco lobbies millions of dollars into the pockets of politicians that may be easily persuaded to give them the vote they are looking for simply based off not enough information. Reach out and spread the awareness on a political level.
Vape it On
Do you know a cigarette smoker? Maybe a long time friend or family member that has been smoking for as long as you can remember? Consider purchasing them their first vaporizer and set of e-liquid so that they themselves may try it. Doing so could easily win over another member to the vaping community and only continues to bring in more word of mouth information spreading from first hand experience. This is one of the most powerful ways to spread information and hardly anybody turns down a free gift. Especially if its a gift intended on saving lives and providing an alternative to an already well known killing agent.
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Its up to you! The grassroots level of information spreading is the most important and most powerful way to leverage the masses towards awareness. Big Tobacco may have millions upon millions of dollars to hand over to politicians for a "yes" or "no" vote but it is you who provides the accurate information through first hand experience that really makes the differences. Combine this with a friendly smile, a positive attitude, and a great conversation and regardless of how much money is involved the average person will recognize honesty and truth long before the evil that money lobbying entails. Get involved!
-Alden Morris
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