Press Coverage of New York Vape-In

Monday’s Vape-In to protest New Yorks recently-enacted ban on public vaping has been getting a healthy amount of press.

Newsweek’s coverage of the event takes a mostly positive look at vapers and the reduced health risk of electronic cigarettes compared to their tobacco-based counterparts. It portrays vapers as people enthusiastic about saving their own lives by getting off cigarettes, despite, in the words of Reason Magazine’s Julian Morris, “unsound science or no science being used to justify an extreme restriction on people’s freedom that will harm others.”

There’s also coverage from The Verge, from which we’ve seen several positive vaping-related articles in the past. Typical of other articles from the publication, The Verge’s “Thank You for Vaping: New Yorkers protest the new e-cig ban at the Museum of Sex” is filled with images from the event, including lots of big clouds and close-ups up vaping devices and the people who love them.

Finally, an article from Vice.com sees the event as the beginning of a “fuck-the-man, David and Goliath-style battle” of vapers and vaping companies against government and Big Tobacco.

Image from the Verge

Press Coverage of New York Vape-In

Vape-In to Protest New York City’s E-Cigarette Smoking Ban

The following came to us from Patrick McMahon of Reason.org:

Event: A Vape-In to Protest New York City’s E-Cigarette Smoking Ban

The vape-in will be preceded by a discussion on the role electronic cigarettes can play in reducing harm from smoking and the unintended consequences of NYC’s e-cigarette ban

Opponents of New York City’s ban on e-cigarettes will gather to discuss its ramifications on public health and personal liberty. Then they’ll thumb their noses at the prohibitionists by vaping as the ban takes effect at midnight. A DJ will play music as guests show their disregard for the nanny state by vaping and dancing the night away.

The vape-in, hosted by Reason magazine, Museum of Sex, and Henley Vaporium, will begin at 9:00 pm on Monday, April 28 at Play in New York City.

Who:

Moderator — John Tierney, Co-author of Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength

Bill Godshall, Director of SmokeFree Pennsylvania

Talia Eisenberg, Co-founder of Henley Vaporium

Dr. Gilbert Ross, Executive and Medical Director of American Council on Science and Health

Kmele Foster, Co-host of Fox Business Network’s The Independents

Matt Welch, Editor-in-Chief of Reason magazine

What:

Prominent critics of e-cigarette regulations will deliver presentations, take questions and be available for one-on-one interviews. Vaping and dancing will follow.

When:

Monday, April 28, 2014 at 9:00 pm

Where:

Play

1 East 27th Street

New York City, NY 10016
Map

RSVP:

http://thank-you-for-vaping.eventbrite.com

Contact:

Patrick McMahon

Communications Specialist, Reason Foundation

patrick.mcmahon@reason.org

Vape-In to Protest New York City’s E-Cigarette Smoking Ban

Big Cities Lead in E-Cig Superstition

In another pro-ecig article from Forbes, Dr. Gilbert Ross of the American Council on Science and Health looks at how the superstitious fear of electronic cigarettes is being promoted by America’s big cities.

“Making e-cigs inaccessible for desperate smokers by inane restrictions will send this message: “Keep on smoking.” To those who say, “We just don’t know what might happen,” I respond, we sure do know what happens with the real ones: almost half a million dead American smokers every year.”

Ross is amazed that these places, where daily life is so completely based on technology and embracing the new, seem to be where all the baseless opposition to e-cigarettes is coming from. With Los Angeles, Chicago and New York all leading the charge to ban e-cigarettes, treating them exactly the same as tobacco, it is only in places like Wisconsin that we see governments making an effort to treat electronic cigarettes as what they are: a new product that has next to nothing in common with traditional cigarettes.

Ross takes oin all the arguments these cities have made: from claims that bans protect children, to the idea that electronic cigarettes are toxic, and counters them with facts and common sense, making the point that discouraging smokers from switching to electronic cigarettes could come at the cost of a great many deaths caused by smoking tobacco.

Big U.S. Cities Foment Baseless, Superstitious Fear Of Electronic Cigarettes | Forbes

Big Cities Lead in E-Cig Superstition

NYC E-Cig Ban Passes

NYC E-Cig Ban Passes

Bloomberg"s E-Cig Attack: Driving Quitters Back to Smoking

Bloomberg"s E-Cig Attack: Driving Quitters Back to Smoking

Top NY Eateries Mixed on Vaping Policies

Top NY Eateries Mixed on Vaping Policies

New York Post Joins Voices Against Bloomberg

New York Post Joins Voices Against Bloomberg

Bloomberg Backlash

Bloomberg Backlash

Indoor Vaping Bans May Hurt Bowlers

Indoor Vaping Bans May Hurt Bowlers

E-cigarettes Worth the Puff?

E-cigarettes Worth the Puff?

New York"s First Illegal E-Cigarette

For all the talk from anti-tobacco zealots who’d like to crucify anyone who uses anything that looks, smells or reminds people of tobacco, you’d think sales of e-cigarettes to minors to be an actual problem.  It comes up all the time as one of their rallying cries, in various forms.  “Kids will get hooked on nicotine… it’s a gateway to cigarettes!”, or “they come in flavors to attract children!”  We all know the “for the children” spiel is political smoke and mirrors nearly every time it’s used, but it’s one of the very few arguments anti-vaping activists have.

Today we got an idea of just how prevalent the sales of e-cigarettes are to minors: Dutchess County, New York, set a milestone today by issuing the first documented violation of a New York law prohibiting e-cigarettes to minors.

This law has been on the books for nearly five months now, and this is the first violation.  There are 19.5 million people in New York state, and 24.7% of them, or about 6.5 million of those are under 18.  One of those 6.5 million was caught buying an e-cigarette in the state, making the odds of being caught buying an e-cigarette while underage about 6 times more likely than dying in a plane crash or being struck by lightning.

You’d think if e-cigarette sales to minors were a problem on anything like the scale the anti-tobacco zealots say it is, they’d have been able to find more than one by now.

Dutchess County reports first illegal e-cigarette sale to a minor

New York"s First Illegal E-Cigarette