It's pure health food," said no one in the gun shop.
Let's be honest here for a moment and ruminate on something we all "know", but don't emphasise. I'm actually 99.9% sure that everyone reading this will agree with me, but a vape is not a health food, not a miracle cure that will cure arthritis, gallstones and kidney hernias. It is an alternative to
smoking. No more, no less. Or .... well, you know what I mean.
It is an extremely healthy alternative if you compare it to the old regular cigarette. But if you compare it to a leaf of lettuce, the premise is a bit different. You need to compare it to the product it's replacing, and there, by golly, it's awfully healthy.
Conservatism and ignorance
So why have e-cigarettes been labelled the devil himself by several organisations and political groups? I think it's a combination of conservatism, ignorance and poor control.
Conservatism because this is something relatively 'new' compared to the conventional cigarette, and people simply do not know how to deal with this novelty, especially if they have no experience with it.
Ignorance, because people simply do not know what the product is, what its purpose is, and do not understand what it contains. Conservatism also comes into play here, as people simply do not want to receive information about the latter.
Poor control. Hello? State? Are you there? It's time to rub the sleep out of your eyes!
and actually see what's going on, with alert and awake eyes, instead of blindly jumping in with the
fists towards things that are useful.
How do I mean now?
How Pelle, 13, gets a disposable wipe?
Yes, and this is a bit of a thorn in my side. It is not the ordinary shops that are to blame for the fact that little Pelle, 13, is puffing away on a disposable vape. Pelle has definitely not been inside the shop and bought it. Either he has done what kids have done since the 18-year age limit on nicotine products was introduced: talked to Ronny, who is going to the vape shop anyway because he has scraped together some money for an e-juice, and told Ronny that "I'll give you 50 bucks if you buy me a disposable vape, here's the money!"
Or, Pelle has either contacted, or been contacted by, someone who imports e-cigs and sells them to anybody. I mean, it should be inclusive in today's society, right? Well ... maybe not everywhere as it is not suitable for everyone.
400 weapons for personal use?
So, Uncle/Aunt State, how about actually checking the situation when people import a couple of hundred disposables? Is it a private individual who should have 400 disposables in his drawer? I find that hard to believe. For personal use? OK, it can happen, but it can also happen that you get killed by a snail. The chance is small, but it's never zero. If a company is bringing it in, maybe someone should check if they are authorised to sell such products?
Tax and customs where needed
If it is a private individual, slap on a hefty customs duty if there are more than X number (say 30?) in the package. Not much is done right in the great country of the West, but "possession with intent to sell" is a pretty good argument in this case. 30 disposable items should be about a reasonable monthly consumption, so you can assume a "normal" use for a private person. But no more.
Stop it at the border
Now we have some restrictions here in Sweden on how a disposable should be packaged, how big, etc., and I don't think that restrictions like these can affect private imports. But it does affect companies. A company that stays within the limits of the law would not bring in a 5000 puff disposable at all and definitely not 400 copies or more. Customs and the police must learn to recognise what is legal to sell and what is not. And make sure to stop it at the border.
Simple, right? Get to work, and stop bothering those of us who are working on injury minimisation for real.
Well thought and well written.
It is clear that the TPD does not fulfil the requirements it was intended to fulfil. Recycling was probably not considered either.
It is quite clear that with the current rules on imports, the black market will take over. Steam shops that already have (and are consistent in complying with the 18-year limit) will never experience problems with the TPD.
It is we as vapers who experience the problems. The fact that the government is losing millions in customs duties and taxes, as well as contributing to an increasing number of young people buying disposable vaporisers from school friends, is something they should take seriously.