On Tuesday, San Francisco voters upheld the city’s ban on flavoured tobacco products, including e-liquid. 68% had voted in favour of Proposition E and 31% opposed. Now I am all about majority rules, but in this case, the propaganda around the vaping industry has skewed common sense.

'Proposition E'  was a ballot referendum, asking San Franciscans to uphold or reject the Board of Supervisors’ ban of flavourings in tobacco products which also includes e-liquid. It was Started by a group called 'San Francisco Kids vs. Big Tobacco'. The group described itself on its website as "a coalition of doctors, parents, and community groups protecting youth from flavoured tobacco products and addiction, sponsored by nonprofit health organizations." 

This group of people have quite likely forged a path many other states in America will follow. They are trying to solve a problem on a macro level rather than teach the importance of personal responsibility. That problem being, tobacco-related products and vaping products being in the hands of children. 

Jim McDonald from 'vaping 360' said of 'Proposition E', “If it passes, anti-e-cigarette activists will be validated in their belief that so long as you proclaim your concern is for children you are justified in distorting the facts in whatever way you see fit. If it fails, Big Tobacco will get the blame and the crusade against flavoured e-cigarettes will continue.”

Anti-e-cigarette activists who help pass legislation banning e-liquids are denying people addicted to analog cigarettes the right to better health, and even risk exposing these people to disease and death.

And, yes, I know the argument is "Don't do either". Well, on planet 'head up your own backside', that works nicely. On planet earth, life happens and sometimes people want a cigarette, or a vape, to help deal with it, or they just enjoy it. And that is their right.

Like it or not, we live in a society that continues to allow the sale of analogue cigarettes. Surely then an alternative such as vaping must not only be promoted - but encouraged.

Groups like 'San Francisco Kids vs. Big Tobacco' have a right to an opinion and to voice it. But they also need to be responsible and think about the consequences their opinions have. It is a little ironic that a movement who preaches protectionism is actually driving more people to do something more harmful than an e-cigarette.