Cigarette smokers are invited to participate in the very first World Vaping Day; today, March 22nd. Celebrating the world of electronic cigarettes, World Vaping Day encourages smokers to make the switch from regular cigarettes to e-cigarettes.

The organization behind this global event is “The World Vaping Day Project Group”. This group is comprised of:

• ECCA UK (E-Cigarette Consumer Association of the United Kingdom)
• Stelda NL (from the Netherlands)
• CASAA (The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association – USA)
• IGED (from Germany)
• ATACA (Australian Tobacco Alternatives Consumer Association)

World Vaping Day is about celebrating the success of electronic cigarettes. The previous focus of cigarette-smoking cessation products had been ending nicotine dependence through the use of nicotine gums, lozenges and patches. These products, however, ignored the behavioral and social aspects of cigarette addiction. E-cigarettes address smokers’ needs on multiple levels; rather than focusing solely on nicotine. E-cigarettes are a more natural replacement for tobacco cigarettes; providing an alternate source of nicotine and mimicking the familiar behaviors associated with smoking. This ultimately eliminates the user’s exposure to smoke and significantly reduces the health concerns related to smoking.

Originally published on the V2 Cigs Blog.

This article is by Paul Bergen of tobaccoharmreduction.org and is reprinted here for discussion purposes only:

Editor’s Note: This really has nothing to do with electronic or tobacco cigarettes at all, but it is still both very amusing and informative. I’m pretty sure everyone will enjoy this:

Electronic cigarettes come in at a time when the ways of using tobacco and/or nicotine today don’t exhibit quite the imagination when compared to days of yore.

Nowadays the choices are: inhaling, chewing and/or a little bit of snuffing.

Just a few mere centuries ago, the range included drinking liquids of steeped tobacco leaves, applying tobacco poultices, and engaging in enemas. Typically the last 2 were reserved in treating medical conditions and the last, tobacco enemas, was embraced by Europeans as a legitimate medical treatment and actually persisted for quite some time.

Since American Indians employed enemas in their medical treatments even before contact, the Europeans followed. And just as Europeans appropriated the consumption of tobacco by smoking pipes, cigars and snuffing, so too they introduced the practice of using tobacco smoke in rectal devices known as clysters….

The tobacco clyster, using either smoke or an infusion, depending on whose authority was being followed, was widely practiced well into the nineteenth century..Tobacco clysters were used in the hopes of treating ailments of the colon and the bowel. They were also recommended in attempts to resuscitate drowned individuals, as well as those who had suffocated, had convulsions and fits, or were frozen. (pgs 84-5: Goodman’s Tobacco in History)

You can see the bellows for the smoke in the fancy kit above.

Reading this passage reminded me of reading another years ago in an alternative health guide suggesting that, if someone was having a heart attack, you should immediately force a tablespoon of cayenne powder down their throat. Rather than sounding like good advice it sounded more like adding insult to injury (though having your tongue on fire might distract you from the chest pains).

Though today there is a thriving business in colonics, nobody seems to be working very hard to bring back the smoke enema. If they should, the anti-smoking folks would have to go back to the word farm to come up with a catchy term for the health risk… or would they be happy to leave it as ‘first-hand smoke’ (of which it neither, of course)?

No doubt once you’ve unclenched your kiester after getting your clyster you would be endangering the others in the vicinity with a lesser-known variation of second-hand smoke.

In lieu of recent decisions by New York public officials to ban cigarette smoking in parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas, e-cigarette enthusiasts have begun stating their case in what is becoming a battleground for smokers – Times Square. Considered a pedestrian plaza, thus making it illegal to smoke there, Times Square will become smoke free sometime this Spring.  Ecigarette enthusiasts including bloggers, journalists, e-cigarette companies and. of course. e-cigarette smokers have thrown their weight behind an alternative smoking device for Times Square… e-cigarettes.

An e-cigarette company recently posted an ad in Times Square boasting of the ability to smoke e-cigarettes in Times Square without the risk of being fined. Bloggers, journalists and e-cigarette smokers are standing behind the ad that brings to light the better smoking alternative associated with e-cigarettes. Of course, all of this attention will likely bring e-cigarettes to the forefront of the on-going New York City smoking debate. The Big Apple has long been on the forefront of smoking bans inciting a public indoor smoking ban in the early 2000’s which led to policy changes around the country.

Smokers generally agree with smoking bans in certain places like airplanes, restaurants and even the workplace. However, there is a growing concern among smokers that their areas in NYC to smoke are now so minuscule they could be considered impractical to reach. In fact, with the exclusion of public parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas, there are few places in NYC smokers can legally smoke.

Electronic cigarettes do not emit clouds of noxious fumes like traditional cigarettes and, therefore, have been deemed appropriate for many public places. Recently, e-cigarettes were banned from airplanes, which is a policy that will be put in place in the coming months. Interestingly, NYC public officials will be posed with the question of what to do with e-cigarettes when inevitably they become popular in Times Square.

Smoking e-cigarettes on airplanes was so commonplace, at one point they were being handed out for free on commercial airliners. However, recent developments may make smoking e-cigs on planes not allowed. The US Department of Transportation plans to ban smoking e-cigarettes on planes as early as this spring. Their reasoning behind this ban isn’t entirely clear and many smokers are viewing it as blindly ignorant legislation. They have issued statements to major airliners of their intentions, some of which have decided to enact this legislation in advance.

It’s important that e-cigarette smokers stay on top of recent developments which are regulating and deregulating e-cigarettes. Just last week a study was released stating that e-cigarettes deserve further investigation as smoking cessation devices. However, this recent news is definitely a blow to the e-cigarette community which has found solace in their freedom to smoke anywhere and everywhere. Though this ban will slightly limit the range of places e-cigarettes are accepted, you can still smoke them in restaurants, bars, and most work environments.

Opinions are mixed on this ban. Most e-cigarettes companies see it as ignorance on the part of the US Department of Transportation. Electronic cigarette do not produce smoke which is the main reason cigarette were banned on airplanes decades ago. The best possible reason they can provide for banning the product on airplanes would be the confusion caused by people who think they are smoking a real cigarette. With how touchy airplane regulations can be, I guess that would suffice. It’s a disappointment for the e-cigarette community but hopefully as more is researched and discovered about the product, the public will grow to accept its better qualities.

There is still no update on New York State’s proposed ban of e-cigarettes. But at this time e-cigs are very much legal to smoke in New York’s public places. Electronic cigarettes continue to dominate headlines for good and bad reasons. But at least the e-cigarette community is getting to have its say on these developments and people are learning about these incredible products.

As the e-cigarette culture grows in America, we’re finding more and more people coming to us with stories of great things they can do with e-cigarette they cannot with regular cigarettes. Therefore, we’ve decided to share these stories which range from insightful and liberating to downright comical. Here are the top five things you can do with e-cigarettes you cannot do with regular cigarettes.

#1 -   Smoking at Work

This is by far the most popular thing customer’s report being able to do. Many places of employment not only forbid smoking indoors but also on the premises. This means that many smokers have to walk out to beyond the parking lot just to smoke. E-Cigarettes can be used indoors since they emit vapor instead of smoke.

#2 – Smoking at Restaurants

Next to work, restaurants are the most hostile place for a smoker. So, it’s no surprise that our customers report smoking at restaurants to be one of their favorite things to do with e-cigarettes. Interestingly enough, many report reaction of friendly curiosity from people rather than hostility which comes from smoking traditional cigarettes in a restaurant.

#3 – Smoking in a Car

Intriguingly, the main reason customers report smoking e-cigs in cars as a huge advantage is safety. Ashing or dropping traditional cigarettes in one’s lap is a constant complaint of traditional cigarette smokers. This can be incredibly dangerous; but luckily for e-cig smokers their electronic hand-held devices are cool to the touch. It also has the huge advantage of not stinking up the car since they are also odorless.

#4 – Smoking in Bed

We really didn’t expect to see this one, but received numerous comments about it. Smoking in bed is apparently a popular thing for some e-cigarette smokers. Even if you fall asleep while in bed, the e-cigarette will not ignite even the most flammable material.

#5 – Smoking in the Living Room

It’s true that many traditional cigarette smokers smoke e-cigs in their living room, but the odor lingers for days or weeks. It’s also creates invasive smoke for anyone else in the living room. E-Cigarettes are a great solution for this and make smoking in your living room much less problematic.