A look inside vape culture at UIowa
‘We get it, you vape’
We all know one of them. You know. They talk about homemade juice, make vines of their tricks, can do the O’s without tapping…
Vaping have been the butt end of jokes for a while now, but it hasn’t really taken over the school. I asked twenty people who live in various locations on and off campus, and they saw a person vaping twice a week on average so far this semester.
Although it’s technically not allowed on campus, there’s a chance you can catch a person walking to their next class with their trusty pen in hand. They can be kind of elusive, especially in the colder weather. I was personally unfamiliar with vaping, so I decided to head to a local head shop to see what it was all about.
The Konnexion is located right on the outskirts of the downtown area, and within ten minutes I was in a dark room filled with rock music. The man behind the counter looked really intimidating, but turned out to be very polite, and, for a lack of better words, “chill”.
We spoke on topics ranging from vape tricks to corporate America. According to him, vaping originated from cigarette smokers looking for a healthier alternative. This tends to be the older crowd. However, it’s grown in popularity with the younger crowd in the last four or five years simply because it became a trend. “People would see others vape and be like, oooh, I wanna blow a big cloud!” the dealer told me. However, there doesn’t seem to be any apparent demographic. From his experience, men and women from 18 to 60 come into the shop.
It’s a humidifier, I promise
But if I really was going to dive into vape culture and what it really means, I needed to speak to a vaper themselves. I hunted one down, Pete, and asked a set of six questions to gain some insight. They also happen to smoke marijuana and cigarettes as well.
Would you consider vaping a hobby, subculture, or lifestyle?
Lifestyle? Haha. No; definitely a hobby.
Wait, how often do you vape then?
Yeah.
What?
Oh, I don’t know, probably every day.
What do you enjoy about it?
[shrugs] It feels really smooth.
(Pete’s Roommate): Sometimes I get vaped on when I’m studying. I don’t like it.
Do you know many people on campus who vape?
Not really. A lot of people vape by themselves, so you won’t really know.
How do you feel about the university policy on vaping?
You’re not allowed to vape on campus?
(Pete’s Roommate): I think it’s anything with nicotine.
How does it compare to weed or cigarettes? Like, is there a prejudice from smokers?
There is, but it depends. A lot of people vape when they’re high because it… feels good? And again, I know some people who vape to quit cigs.
How do you respond to health concerns surrounding vaping?
I never really get any, but it’s healthier than cigarettes. I know a lot of people who vape because they’re trying to quit smoking.
Overall, I had quite a positive experience with the people during my investigation of vaping. I personally don’t care for it, but I have no vendetta against the “mouth fedoras”.
Regardless, I don’t think our personal beliefs matter when we catch those familiar fruit-candy scented clouds – we’re all going to mutter, “We get it…” under our breaths.