The college students and other young adults working at Vape Shops are collecting their checks. They won't realize how serious it is until their bosses start cutting hours or closing shops. If it gets to that point, it's too late. I hate to be the one to deliver this news and I hope it doesn't happen, I hope we fight now and educate the public before the battle is over. If anyone knows owners and people who care, people who can foresee where things are going, I'm willing to fight if you are. At the end of the day I can shop online, but I rather support the mom&pop shops, I rather buy locally. That won't be an option if this city gets riled up and prohibits the sale of vape products. (I really wish they'd put the same energy into putting an end to the opioid crisis, or other things that are far more important, but that's beside the point). David & Goliath has always been a fun tale. We are battling against the giants, and one of them is Big Tobacco. They're all too happy to fight against vaping, when they honestly should be embracing the culture and finding ways to profit off from it. If there's a demand for a nicotine product, they should have had the foresight to get in early and capitalize on it. We don't need to litter paper and pollute the air with second-hand smoke to continue our habits. Anyways, you know where to reach me, if people want to help spread counter-intelligence and fight to stop this city from moving towards prohibition. All of the cases stemmed from products that were purchased online, not from products bought locally. Illegal, black-market, unregulated, dirty products. Trust me, this city has no shortage of lawyers, if the shops and vaping were to blame, there would be lawsuits galore. Vape Culture can be annoying, I get it. I hate the "vape" competitions and people blowing their shit in other people's faces, or indoors that aren't their own. On our end, we need to help keep people more responsible with how they're using it, as it reflects on all of us. We also need to educate people about Liquid and Batteries, as well as devices. So there aren't any issues or errors. These things can be used properly and without detriment to the health, and it's MUCH HEALTHIER than smoking. I'm not saying it's healthy, but it's healthier than the product that has been around longer, and it's healthier than the product that is trying to bully vaping out of the market. Prohibition never works. People are going to use this product regardless. Don't make it harder, don't force them to purchase unregulated and unsafe products. Keep it healthy, smart, and regulated. Don't punish the mom&pop shops, or local businesses. This city already drives out enough business and the vacancies down on State Street aren't filling up anytime soon. Come on Santa Barbara, we have bigger fish to fry.
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