Vaping vs Smoking

So your teenager is vaping e-cigarettes – should you worry?

When it comes to the argument of smoking vs. vaping, the discussion usually revolves around which one is the lesser of two evils.  However, is it enough to think vaping is "not as bad? as something else?  Occasionally yes.  The jury is still out as to whether or not vaping is safe or healthy, however most people agree that it is a much safer alternative to traditional cigarettes or cigars. Vaping, unlike smoking, involves the inhalation of vaporized e-cigarette liquid consisting of water, nicotine, a base of propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin and occasionally, flavoring. The lack of smoke inhalation is what leads many e-cigarette users to believe vaping is a safer alternative to smoking. E-cigarettes and other vaping products are on track to out-sell cigarettes by the end of 2023. And more and more young people are trying e-cigarettes. So what do you need to know about them? Are they less harmful than using cigarettes or other burned tobacco products?

Merchants fuming at new tobacco and vaping laws

With new tobacco and vaping laws that increase California’s smoking age from 18 to 21, and regulate vaping products as tobacco products, going into effect Thursday — just over a month after Gov. Jerry Brown signed them — some merchants haven’t even had time to make permanent signs. Christopher Chin, owner of Gone With the Smoke, a San Francisco vape shop that has been in business since November 2013, plans to put up photocopied notices informing customers about the change. Chin, who had to fire one employee who was under 21, said he’ll strictly enforce ID checking, but doesn’t think the change makes much sense. “If I’m 18 and I want to get a vape or smoke, I’m definitely going to have some friends who are 21 or older,” he said. “It’s really not going to affect much — that’s what I think.”