In this article we talk about why we need Vapers in Power who have contributed to the vaping community hugely since they were setup.
Back in January 2015 when I started this website, I was looking around social media and various sources, I came across a website called “Vapers in Power” and noticed their distinctive black and green logo with “registered as political party” below it.
I wasn’t too sure if this was genuine at first and thought why would someone register a political party for vaping?
There are plenty of registered political parties out there that you might not have even heard before and most of them purely focus on a topic that is important them or a community. Many people would have never heard of UKIP years ago until the media brought them to the forefront of politics.
It is now estimated there are over 2 million people vaping in the United Kingdom and this growing day by day as people realise how effective vaping is compared to NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) or going cold turkey which can be very difficult for some people. Maybe some of just like the effects of nicotine and why not? Would we deny people the right to a cup of coffee so they can get their caffeine fix or if there was a healthier way to intake it?
A voice for vapers
Their sole purpose is to provide a voice for the vaping community which is really important with the upcoming changes due in May 2016 which will affect everyone who vapes. If you are not aware of these changes then this will be the introduction of Article 20 section 5 that was added to the TPD (Tobacco Products Directive).
Below is a list of some of restrictions that will be put into place:
- Ban on promoting and advertising e-cigarettes and possibly on forums/online
- E-Liquid will only be sold in a maximum of 10ml capacity bottles
- Clearomizers and Tanks will not to be able to exceed a 2ml capacity
- E-Liquid will only be allowed to sold with a maximum of 20mg nicotine strength
As you will see the above restrictions will be very limited for the average vaper and will affect all the current equipment and E-Liquid currently available on the market, scary stuff eh?
Who is involved in the party?
Jessica Harding is the Party Leader of Vapers in Power and they currently have 2 candidates that you can vote for if they are within your area.
These are Liam Bryan for Kingswood, Bristol (pictured below on the right) and Billy Marsden for Barnsley East (pictured below on the left).
They have a range of other people involved in the party and many people help out on their Facebook group “Think Tank”.
They do have a manifesto that is purely focussed on vaping and can be found by clicking here.
This is a quote that was included in one of their recent press releases which I strongly agree with “For the first time in the history of the tobacco control movement, a realistic possibility is emerging that the tobacco problem might get resolved –and this could happen with minimal or no government expenditure”. (5) (Hajek 2013)
In the media and funding
They have managed to gain some excellent exposure to a wide audience and I have seen them in both local and national media including newspapers, websites and interviews. This is excellent because those not aware of vaping can be informed on how important it is for vapers to have access to products that help them give up smoking.
They recently ran a crowd-funding campaign and successfully raised £3000 before their deadline so there are many supporters for their cause.
Calls to action section
This section on their website provides all the important actions a vaper should be taking to influence the decisions of our government on vaping and to have your voice heard in any petitions.
On a weekly basis they update it with new suggestions and links to websites where the future of vaping can be influenced including TV broadcasters, organisations and MP’s.
Check out their calls to action section by clicking here.
Find them | Support them
You can follow them on Twitter @vapers
Give them a like on Facebook here
Visit their website for more information.