Apologies for being missing last week, I had a lot going on and couldn't find much more in vape news other than the so-called "lung disease" sweeping America. Real quick fact check on that front, these stories are worded to point the finger at vapes. The truth is even scarier. People are getting sick from black market THC cartridges that probably don't even have THC in them. I may cover that more next week, but today I have a story a little closer to home for me.
Alpharetta, Georgia has been attempting to ban vape shops, or at least any more shops, from opening in their city. A few months ago the city council had a potential ban in the minutes for one of their meetings.
I assume, due to the number of people in the vaping community that agreed to show up in support of their right to vape, the city council had tabled that discussion until further notice. After this morning's article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it seems as though they have found another way to push back on vape shops.
The headline reads, "Alpharetta denies vape shop as vaping debate continues." It's a seemingly innocent and neutral title that encourages curiosity, I'll give them that. But, the contents of the article aren't as neutral.
Monday morning, the city council made the decision to ban Xhale City's application to open a shop off of Old Milton Parkway. The reason given had to do with zoning laws, but it was really just a loop hole because AJC did not give specifics on the laws of zoning in their article. Instead, they used the opportunity to continue to belittle vaping as a whole.
A little background for Xhale City before we get into the rest of the article...
This business has 23 locations from Oakwood to Carrolton and everywhere in between. Fun side fact: Did you hear about the vape shop employee that screamed at a guy for visibly portraying his political views and refused to sell him anything? If so, it was an employee of Xhale City. They didn't seem to appreciate that a customer was so rudely discriminated against by one of their own employees. He was ultimately fired and the company posted an apology to their Facebook which included a video with the customer wearing his political shirt. Good job, guys!
Back to the main story...
Given the number of locations, it's clear to see this business isn't suffering too hard from the denial. What if it had been a smaller store, though? Plenty of avid vapers and hobbyists strive to open their own shop as more than a business, but also to have a place to hang out with their friends and enjoy their past time.
AJC claims the city has been looking for a way to ban vape shops, without potential legal backlash, after the CDC released a statement regarding the "first death related to vaping". As I mentioned earlier, it was months ago that Alpharetta was discussing banning vape shops from their city. To use this outbreak that has only recently begun to happen is mis-use of the media.
Furthermore, vape devices found in schools are another reason given for these measures being taken. Surrounding areas have made the decision to not allow a business that has over 25% of their inventory being vape related products.
Did you know that most of the teen vaping cases have involved Juul? That would be the reason they are always in the news and recently apologized for marketing to young people. Most vape shops today have stopped carrying Juul for those same moral reasons on top of the company being owned by big tobacco. So, who is primarily selling this brand? Convenience stores and gas stations! I would say they definitely do not have more than even 10% of their inventory being anything related to vaping. These cities have no problem with these businesses, but that's the place most of these teens can acquire a Juul device. IT MAKES NO SENSE!
They do, much later in the article, give a little more information into the meeting where the application was denied. City staff told the council they were against the shop opening because they saw glassware, that could be used with drugs like marijuana, in their inventory.
Disregarding my own feelings on the benefits of this natural plant, gas stations also sell the same pipes and glass pieces that this shop have. Again, the logic these city officials have is completely flawed.
With teen vaping and the recent hospitalizations, it's clear that politicians will continue to fight against vaping. And though they won't admit it, we all know it's in favor of traditional tobacco. Even though cigarettes have caused numerous cases of lung cancer and the companies historically lied about the dangers, it's become a big money maker for these big tobacco companies who in turn donate to the same greedy politicians and who knows who else. Stop denying that there haven't been studies. The UK already has vape shops in hospitals and a study published years ago linking vaping to be a major help in tobacco cessation.
Next week we will talk about these tragic cases that do not need to be taken lightly. We can only hope that the CDC is actually focusing on finding the true cause, because vaping in general is not it. Stay up to date with the blog on our Facebook page and don't forget to like and share with your friends! The Cloud Mermaid @ FB!
We are also now on Pinterest! Constantly posting funny vape memes and safety information! Subscribe to stay informed. https://www.pinterest.com/tcmvapes/
No comments:
Post a Comment