# Why Do People Protest So Much About Vaping? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 16, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516 "2014-10-16T18:53:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/21 "2014-10-16T20:26:21Z")
I have never seen anyone vaping in real life, and have therefore never smelled it. What does it smell like? ETA: It didn’t occur to me that vaping would have an aroma. Live ‘n’ learn, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/22 "2014-10-16T20:31:43Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > How does that compare to car fumes, coal plants, factories, or smelting plants where carcinogens are concerned? I’ll predict that a line of argument amounting to “You have no right to complain of my annoying behavior unless/until it’s as harmful as other common annoyances” will have limited success. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/23 "2014-10-16T20:32:27Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Most communities and places that criticize vaping and place limits on its locations are based upon studies done by the CDC which indicate that numerous younger people (ages 11-17) are taking up vaping because of the cool factor. The same studies also indicate that young people have a very high incidence rate of switching from vaping to smoking. > > So the primary reason for the protest against vaping is that it leads to smoking…and the desire to reduce the impact of smoking an another generation. THAT would be a concern, but are those points validated by academic studies or they only anecdotal observations? If they’re only anecdotal then all of my parents’ peers smoked, my brothers/sisters/cousins were about 50/50 and my nephews are, so far, 4/1 against smoking. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > Good point. Let’s grind the entire economy and modern civilization to a halt just so we can breath cleaner air, in a hundred years or so. Or let’s ignore non-carcinogenic air pollutants and concentrate on those which have been proved to shorten lifespans? > [@Helena330](#): > > Straw man argument. How so? > [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > I’m not going to look through my post history to see if I’ve done so or not, but I wouldn’t be surprised. I have, in fact, had the unpleasant job of telling someone they smell and they need to take a shower NOW, and I had to do that in person, so yes I would say something about smelly aftershave or a BO problem. > > You claim nobody notices, but it could just be you’ve been around people that are too polite to tell you to knock it off. You want sympathy? Stop smelling up my air and you can have all the sympathy you want. I’ve never been accused of smelling up air, because I vape conscientiously. How do you feel if I vape and you can’t smell or see it? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/24 "2014-10-16T20:35:08Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I have never seen anyone vaping in real life, and have therefore never smelled it. What does it smell like? > > ETA: It didn’t occur to me that vaping would have an aroma. Live ‘n’ learn, I guess. There are vaping cartridges out there that have scents that range from apple pie to cow pie. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/25 "2014-10-16T20:37:02Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > "Why can’t I vape? sounds like a little kid whining about not getting his way. We know how much sympathy whiny little kids get. > > Quit whining, and accept that you don’t just get to do what you want to do. That last statement (I deleted the former) seems a tad ironic, don’t you think? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/26 "2014-10-16T20:38:19Z")
Actually, I have some sympathy for those trying to quit the smoking habit and choosing to switch to an alternative like vaping. I understand that a nicotine patch or Chantix isn’t a solution for everyone. So vape away. But do it far enough from me so I don’t have to smell it or be in the same enclosed space as you. What I do have a problem with is how these things are being marketed to teenagers. Additionally, it gives teenagers who are so inclined to vape pot in various extracted formats while making it harder for parents and authorities to detect it. So fuck the vaping industry very much for that. But for specific subset of cases where people are only vaping the fruit flavoured, non-nicotine PG stuff, you look like complete tools and you need to knock it off because ‘cloud chasing’ is fucking affected and obnoxious. Now get off my lawn. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/27 "2014-10-16T20:41:04Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > There are vaping cartridges out there that have scents that range from apple pie to cow pie. I swear, one guy I had to stand near at the park had one that smelled like tooth decay-- you know, the smell when the dentist drills a tooth? Smokers have poor olfactory sense, and probably it doesn’t improve with vaping, so it may be the nicotine itself that does it (as a poison, it’s a nerve agent, IIRC). The flavor things may have to be really strong for smokers to taste them, so they overwhelm non-smokers. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/28 "2014-10-16T20:41:13Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Actually, I have some sympathy for those trying to quit the smoking habit and choosing to switch to an alternative like vaping. I understand that a nicotine patch or Chantix isn’t a solution for everyone. > > So vape away. But do it far enough from me so I don’t have to smell it or be in the same enclosed space as you. > > What I do have a problem with is how these things are being marketed to teenagers. Additionally, it gives teenagers who are so inclined to vape pot in various extracted formats while making it harder for parents and authorities to detect it. So fuck the vaping industry very much for that. But for specific subset of cases where people are only vaping the fruit flavoured, non-nicotine PG stuff, you look like complete tools and you need to knock it off because ‘cloud chasing’ is fucking affected and obnoxious. Now get off my lawn. Totally agree. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/29 "2014-10-16T20:42:03Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > Or let’s ignore non-carcinogenic air pollutants and concentrate on those which have been proved to shorten lifespans? As stated above “Don’t complain about my bad thing because there’s a worse thing out there” is a pretty poor argument. > [@JustinC](#): > > I’ve never been accused of smelling up air, because I vape conscientiously. How do you feel if I vape and you can’t smell or see it? If I can’t smell or see it? Who cares! The problem is that _you_ think others can smell or see it. I disagree - I’ve been around some vapers that stank to high heaven. It goes back to the first thing I said. You want to do whatever to yourself in the comfort of your own home? Knock yourself out. You want to do it next to me on the bus? I might have a problem with that if it negatively affects me, and the smell is a negative effect. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/30 "2014-10-16T20:42:34Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > That last statement (I deleted the former) seems a tad ironic, don’t you think? No. Explain. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/31 "2014-10-16T20:43:21Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > Or let’s ignore non-carcinogenic air pollutants and concentrate on those which have been proved to shorten lifespans? That vaping pen that you use doesn’t grow on a tree. Care to speculate how much pollution is produced just making that cool little toy you’re sucking on while being smug about how few carcinogens you’re blowing out your ass? ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/32 "2014-10-16T20:43:26Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > There are vaping cartridges out there that have scents that range from apple pie to cow pie. I prefer menthol, and occasionally mix it with American tobacco. But mostly menthol. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/33 "2014-10-16T20:47:02Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > That vaping pen that you use doesn’t grow on a tree. Care to speculate how much pollution is produced just making that cool little toy you’re sucking on while being smug about how few carcinogens you’re blowing out your ass? Care to assess how many carbons you’re blowing out of your ears by using a computer? How did your pen get to your desk? Is it more worthwhile getting a new car or keeping the old one? How did the coffee you drink get to your cup? How did your mamma’s… etc… ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/34 "2014-10-16T20:52:27Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > No. Explain. “Quit whining, and accept that you don’t just get to do what you want to do.” Hydrocarbons, nuclear fuel, windfarms, solar, biodiversity, commuting, hashtags, X-Factor, adverts, adverts, adverts, Hollywood, Nobel Peace Prizes, famine, AIDS, gold bugs, Fox News, China, globalization, gasoline, oil wars, ecigs. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/35 "2014-10-16T20:53:25Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > Care to assess how many carbons you’re blowing out of your ears by using a computer? How did your pen get to your desk? Is it more worthwhile getting a new car or keeping the old one? How did the coffee you drink get to your cup? How did your mamma’s… etc… I wasn’t the one who tried to defend vaping as being a better alternative in terms of pollution to pens, computers, cars and coffee production. I’m not against vaping because I think it’s a pollutant. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/36 "2014-10-16T20:59:25Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > I prefer menthol, and occasionally mix it with American tobacco. But mostly menthol. Let me get this straight-sometimes it smells like you are smoking a cigarette…and you wonder why people might object? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/37 "2014-10-16T21:02:13Z")
We’re just jealous of vapers because they look soooo cool. :dubious: > [@Justin](#): > > Give me a break, and all of the other millions who’ve been taken down the same dead end. Let us reduce our suffering and don’t castigate us for doing so. Absolutely, we are all guilty for getting people like you started on smoking, and should accept degradation of indoor air quality and potential harm from secondhand nicotine/vape ingredients because it is our responsibility to keep you hooked on a less dangerous form of nicotine without any meaningful regulation. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/38 "2014-10-16T21:07:16Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Let me get this straight-sometimes it smells like you are smoking a cigarette…and you wonder why people might object? No one object objected except people here who’ve never been within several hundred miles of me. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/39 "2014-10-16T21:08:35Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > Hydrocarbons, nuclear fuel, windfarms, solar, biodiversity, commuting, hashtags, X-Factor, adverts, adverts, adverts, Hollywood, Nobel Peace Prizes, famine, AIDS, gold bugs, Fox News, China, globalization, gasoline, oil wars, ecigs. Is this the lyrics to the new version of “We Didn’t Start The Fire”? ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516/40 "2014-10-16T21:09:42Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > No one object objected except people here who’ve never been within several hundred miles of me. No one one is personally objecting to the fact that you use an e-cig. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-protest-so-much-about-vaping/701516.md?page=3)