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The vaping community knows better than anyone how crucial vaping advocacy and awareness are. The more we know about vaping, the easier it can be for us to make informed choices for ourselves and our loved ones.
However, not every vaper knows how they can volunteer for change. While it can be challenging amid so much new information, you may like to take some of these actions:
Educate Yourself
You can’t hope to highlight better ways to approach vaping in our communities unless you educate yourself on everything to do with it. The more knowledge you obtain, the more of it you can share!
Now might be the right time to brush up on current regulations, any public health concerns, our rights and requirements, and whether there are any impacts on health. Don’t be afraid to dive deep into vaping education so you can help educate others who may not be as motivated to seek out information themselves.
Encourage Responsible Vaping
Anyone of the legal smoking age is permitted to vape in Aotearoa New Zealand. However, we should all do so responsibly. One of the best ways we can support vaping advocacy and awareness is by encouraging responsible vaping.
We can educate others about making informed buying decisions. We can also stress the importance of vaping in moderation. We can even look at ways to minimise our environmental impact, such as disposing of vaping products and batteries at appropriate facilities.
Speak Out in Surveys
It can sometimes feel like everyone making decisions about how and when we vape are not vapers themselves. The best way for us to be heard is by participating in research and surveys. When we provide our viewpoint on this topic, we can contribute towards a pool of valuable data. This data may prove helpful for decision-makers to form policies surrounding vaping in the future.
Combat Misinformation
There is a great deal of misinformation in the vaping community. The more this misinformation is shared in public, community forums, and social media, the harder it can be for the truth to be discovered.
As members of the vaping community, it’s our job to combat misinformation. Even if the information doesn’t always paint us in a positive light, we owe it to ourselves and others to seek out and promote evidence-based information.
Advocate for Policy Changes
Not all policies created for the vaping community will be viewed as favourable. Some may even be more harmful than helpful. As informed members of the vaping community, we can advocate for policy changes we believe will suit vapers and non-vapers alike.
For example, some vapers and vape retailers believe further vaping restrictions will result in dangerous and unregulated black market sales. As insiders in the industry, we may be able to come up with better solutions to the ones that lawmakers created.
Provide Quitting Support
Being in the vaping community doesn’t mean we don’t want people not to quit. Many people use vaping as a smoking cessation tool and eventually want to stop vaping and using nicotine products altogether.
The average vape retailer and vape user are in a strong position to offer support to quit. They can provide tips and tricks, such as:
- Setting a quit date
- Finding alternative coping mechanisms
- Removing the temptation
- Staying busy
- Gradually decreasing nicotine volumes in vape products
- Trying behavioural therapy
- Seeking support from friends and family
- Getting professional help
We can also help smokers make an informed decision before transitioning from smoking to vaping. After all, many organisations still say that vaping is a valuable smoking cessation tool.
Stay Informed
You might have researched vaping so you can support vaping advocacy, but the hard work isn’t done once you’re well-informed. It’s crucial to then stay informed. Otherwise, you won’t be able to share the most current information with others.
However, staying informed can require a great deal of dedication, given how quickly the industry is changing. Talk to other vaping advocates, sign up for newsletters, and check vaping websites often.
There are a number of websites to get helpful information from, such as:
It can also be worth talking to your local vape retailer. They receive communications from governing bodies regarding changes they must make to remain on the right side of the law.
Get the Latest Vaping Information from Vapourium
Whether you want to make an informed vaping decision or need some tips on how to vape safely, Vapourium is here to help. While we sell a range of vaping products to our local vaping community, we also remain abreast of industry changes to ensure all vapers in NZ can make informed decisions for themselves.