NEWS
USA VAPING
MAGAZINE MOCKS
PEOPLE TRYING TO
QUIT CIGARETTES
by Stephen Tarpey
We've seen one of our competitors trying to deride our
magazine on social media recently.
Posting a picture taken in November
where one of our staff (not the staff
member pictured), who still smoked had
a packet of cigarettes on the desk during
the production of the magazine. Normally
we don’t respond to petty comments
or rumblings from our competitors,
we normally let our magazine speak
for itself. Yet, for some reason this felt
different, like they were saying that
our magazine was less fit to represent
this industry because we have an
employee (who worked with us before
the magazine started) who smokes. It
actually made me angry, the thought that
someone would think that a designer
with many years experience, shouldn’t
be part of our organisation anymore just
because she hadn’t managed to quit one
of the most addictive chemicals.
This got me thinking, because as the
owners of Vapouround Magazine,
both Paul and myself who are exsmokers, now vapers, wanted to
start the magazine to support the
industry. The thing is we don’t just own
Vapouround magazine, this is a part of
a bigger organisation where we have
approximately 40 staff, as we grow
we always employ new staff and we
don’t discriminate because people are
smokers, why? Because surely these are
the people who need our help the most!
36 ISSUE 05 VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE
When we started the magazine, we
made a decision, we wouldn’t punish
people because they smoked, instead
we wanted to support them. Anyone who
expresses an interest in wanting to quit
Smoking at our businesses is provided
with a free mod and tank, we also set
them up with their first liquids and ensure
they get guidance and support about
using the devices correctly, correct
nicotine strength, etc. We have even
given devices to family members of
our employees, so it really annoyed
me that someone would try and bad
mouth us, without even knowing what
a difference we make. To me this is the
height of ignorance, in this industry we
shouldn’t be looking to ridicule smokers,
considering that most of us were one
once, instead we should be thinking of
them as future vapers. It annoys me that
people get snobbish and turn their noses
up at smokers, rather than thinking what
they can do to help. The moment we
forget this industry exists to help people
get off cigarettes is the moment we’ve
lost our way, so it’s time the people doing
this changed their state of mind. If all
you care about is reaching experienced
vapers and mocking smokers, you need
an attitude adjustment. This industry
is about getting to people to want quit
smoking just as much as it is about
experienced vapers.
Another thing is, the person whose
cigarettes were in the picture is now off
the cigarettes and is Vaping. We’re so
proud of our employee, and your shoddy
attempt to embarrass our organisation
actually highlights the reason why we
know we’re making a difference.