It’s tough to stay positive these days if you’re ENDS user or industry stake holder.
POTUS made a statement today in regards to the current fake news about “vaping”, and more regulations are coming. The irony is he’s the one who coined the phrase “fake news”. Now he’s going to be involved in regulations based on the same thing he has hated for the past few years. Go figure…
Flavor bans are starting to gain traction. Michael Bloomberg is pumping $160M into the flavor ban push. Governors are talking about executive actions to ban flavors, the list goes on and on and it’s not easy to deal with when you know the truth. It’s tough to stay positive with this perfect storm of false information being spread across every platform. The public perception of the ENDS industry is that we are “Big Tobacco 2.0”, according to the city council meeting in Yonkers, NY yesterday. We know the truth and we can’t give up hope.
This morning I came across a post from a guy named Jourdan on Facebook, I reached out to him and asked him for permission to post it here. It was exactly what I needed to motivate me to fight another day. It was a reminder of why we, as responsible industry stakeholders, do what we do and can’t give up. Personally, I have felt defeated, like our impending doom is getting closer and the “death from a thousand cuts” is right around the corner. If you’re feeling the same way, please take a moment to read the following post and the associated video he attached to the post. My hope is that you too will stand up and fight another day:
“2019 has been a pretty rough year for everyone in the vapor industry. Sales are down, new customers aren’t coming in like they used to, and the media is slaughtering us with false news.
Well a few days ago I was talking with a good friend that’s not in the vapor industry. He asked me why are you fighting so hard for something that you can’t win. He was referring to fighting the Government , Big Tobacco, and Big Pharma. He told me you need to start planning your exit strategy and stop putting energy into a lost cause. Now this is a good friend that cares a lot about me. He knows all the struggles that I am facing and how hard it’s been on myself and my family.
Now I knew that he was saying these things to me out of love but his words hurt and brought on a full spectrum of emotions. First I wanted to scream at him and then I just wanted to cry. But instead of screaming or crying I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts.
I explained to him that I do not and will not have an exit strategy from the vapor industry. I told him that too many people depend on me for me to plan my escape. I told him about the many employees that have been with me and my company for almost 8 years. How they have sacrificed not going to school or taking a better paying job. They did this because it was important, exciting, and rewarding.
I’m talking about helping that new customer try vaping for the first time. And seeing their face light up with joy and relief because they now have something that they can use to leave behind cigarettes that were going to kill them.
I told my friend that what my company and employees do is far too important to give up on. I told him that what we are doing by fighting is protecting our future generations from deadly combustible cigarettes, and it’s too important to give up on.
I told him that we are in a moment of time that doesn’t come around that often. A moment to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. A moment to change the world for the better. A moment to stand up against the Big Money and tell them no we are not going to allow you to kill 480,000 people every year until the end of time.
It’s easy to give up and it’s easy to plan your exit into something new.
It’s hard to stand up and fight every waking hour. It’s hard to wake up every morning to something new their using to try and defeat us. It’s hard to try to fall asleep when you know that there’s thousands of people plotting against you to kill your business. It’s hard to make those phone calls to politicians that are making misguided decisions against safer vapor products, especially when in the back of your mind your thinking my voice doesn’t matter. It’s hard to listen to lies being told about your business. It’s hard to stand up for your business especially when your worried about making payroll,rent, or any of our many bills.
We are all going through rough times, but I truly believe that we can overcome the false news, misguided politicians, and the big money used against us. What this industry has become and what we are doing for public health is far too important to give up on. I know all of these things are hard but if we don’t fight no one will and 480,000 people will die every year until the end of time.
– Please Keep Fighting –
– Please Don’t Give Up –
– Your Voice Matters -“
We’ve come too far and invested too much to give up now.
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FSFA is a not for profit state advocacy group that is funded solely by membership fees and donations. If you are an industry stakeholder that sells products or operates in the state of Florida, we highly encourage you to sign up for a membership in order to help fund the fight. You can contribute by clicking here.
If you are a consumer and would like to know how you can help the industry in the state of Florida, we suggest that you go to our members page and show your support by supporting the responsible brands that contribute on a monthly bases to our advocacy efforts.
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The information in this article is the sole opinion of its author.
