Vape Ban with Covid Relief Bill

By smokemifugottem - updated: 3 years, 6 months ago - 8 messages

What are your thoughts on the amendment of the PACT act that came along with the Covid-19 bill? I don't like it personally. I do vape but the banning of vape shipment itself isn't my main issue, although it does bother me. What bothers me most though is that they can sneak this into a completely unrelated bill. I know they've always done this but it still makes me so mad. I don't think it should be legal to do that. Covid-19 relief has nothing to do with vape shipment at all. I think there should be some sort of law pertaining to what can be included in a bill. Parameters should be set forcing all aspects of the bill to involve the topic at hand. That way you can't make a bill for something we all agree on like toughening punishment given to pedophiles and then throw in something completely unrelated like banning Kratom. You want to vote on banning Kratom fine, propose a bill on that don't sneak it into something else.
I'm not trying to go into detail on my opinion on the ban itself (although I do think this was done more to appease the tobacco industry rather than to help anybody) my big gripe and concern is putting it in with the relief bill. It doesn't make any sense that the only way the last wave of checks could of been sent out is with that stipulation. Stimulus checks/relief for a pandemic and buying vape juice online aren't relevant to each other in any way. In no realm of logical existence should they be lumped together. They are in no way mutually exclusive and don't really effect each other at all. To me these two things should be voted on separately. I just don't think that should be allowed it's so sneaky and conniving, but that's the government for you :/
By superboa - posted: 3 years, 6 months ago

I mean, I think people who vape and act as if it's a personality trait are worthless to society. Not mad at the ban, but I am always concerned by choices the government makes to remove peoples rights to things.
By smokemifugottem - posted: 3 years, 6 months ago

I'm not trying to go into detail on my opinion on the ban itself (although I do think this was done more to appease the tobacco industry rather than to help anybody) my big gripe and concern is putting it in with the relief bill. It doesn't make any sense that the only way the last wave of checks could of been sent out is with that stipulation. Stimulus checks/relief for a pandemic and buying vape juice online aren't relevant to each other in any way. In no realm of logical existence should they be lumped together. They are in no way mutually exclusive and don't really effect each other at all. To me these two things should be voted on separately. I just don't think that should be allowed it's so sneaky and conniving, but that's the government for you :/
Updated 3 years, 6 months ago
By coolby - posted: 3 years, 6 months ago

Could *have* been sent out. This is a typing website, so I'll point it out.

I agree with you, it is frustrating to see pork-filled bills. Just completely unrelated material. I do suspect it would be impossible for the nat'l gov't to push through enough legislation to effectively govern if this kind of thing weren't allowed though. But especially for lobbied, self-interested things like this, I hope there is some way to make it stop.

Vaping is such an interesting thing. It is objectively bad for you. But less harmful than cigarettes (unless you vape a fair bit more than you'd smoke). It is effective as a smoking cessation tool, but some people who use it like that instead regress to vaping instead of completely stopping smoking. And you get the "cool" factor with vaping, where young people might get into it when they would never have gotten into cigarettes. It's also less harmful to people nearby. It's a difficult and interesting topic on its own!
By smokemifugottem - posted: 3 years, 6 months ago

Yeah vaping's weird. I started vaping in sophomore year of high school. I've smoked weed since 8th grade, I used to smoke a lot of spliffed (mixed with tobacco on the inside - not just the wrap itself) blunts because I never had a lot of weed back then. Long story short that got me hooked on 'rillos, figured vaping would better, that turned into salt nic vaping which I think is probably worse, which turned into nicotine pouches to try and quit, which came back around to the regular box mod vaping that I'm currently doing. Nicotine is definitely very addictive, but I got off lucky. My Dad is majorly addicted to cigarettes. He used to smoke 5 packs a day. There's other addiction issues in my family so I am super lucky. I only vape about 3-4 sessions a day. I'm glad nicotine is the only thing I've ever gotten addicted to, it's pretty tame lol. In high school I was stupid as hell, I tried all kinds of drugs, even had a couple week Percocet binge. Quit cold turkey. Nothing has stuck except for the nicotine, and I still smoke a lot of weed lol. Pretty lucky considering my city is basically a drug den. I never touched street opioids though, or meth (directly, but I have done stepped on ecstasy so who knows what was in it). Hopefully I'll kick the vape soon. And maybe tone down my weed habit... maybe. One thing I know for sure is that I am better off for having vaped instead of picking up cigs.
By smokemifugottem - posted: 3 years, 6 months ago

I think part of this government crusade against vaping is partly fueled by their perceived failure in the delta 8 THC loophole caused by the hemp farming act. They are pretty butthurt that an albeit less psychoactive (but still psychoactive nonetheless) branch of THC became federally legal. I'm sure they are still kicking themselves for that one.
By coolby - posted: 3 years, 6 months ago

Wow man, you've run the gambit. I am very glad to hear you've stayed away from harder substances. They are life-ruining.

Your dad is very likely to suffer greatly from lung disease and has massively increased risk for many different cancers. I hope he finds a way to cut back.

I sincerely encourage you to cut back on smoking cigarettes. Our bodies aren't rentals- you're stuck with it once you're older, and I see people suffering consequences from this very often. There are medications you can use to help you quit. The gold standard is a talk therapy + nicotine patches +- another med (chantix, or varenicline). Sometimes it takes multiple attempts, and that's okay. It is NEVER too late to stop. It can insanely drastically alter your health and happiness for the rest of your life.

Marijuana daily seems to alter motivation and tends to add to anxiety. It certainly alters your productivity. I think the most important change you could make right now is reducing the nicotine products and tabling progress with marijuana. Though you could try edibles, if you haven't already.
By elombitakola - posted: 3 years, 6 months ago

I agree with you I think it's too sneaky but I don't know why it's legal, maybe it fixes another problem that we don't know about.

I'm not American but what bothered me the most is that they removed the 15$ min wage from it.
Updated 3 years, 6 months ago
By weedmccreed - posted: 3 years, 6 months ago

Yeah it is concerning, I can say though that not all of America needs that wage increase as much. I live in southern Ohio where we have very low price of living. I make a bit under 14 dollars an hour and have a nice apartment, with a my gf who makes the same and 2 cats to feed without too much struggle. So I'm not 100 percent sure a federal wage increase across the board to $15 is entirely necessary. Plus with all the inflation caused by the stimulus that will be screwing us, it might not be a good time. I'm economically challenged though lol. So I'm not very strongly opinionated on that kind of thing.