Vaping in the boys room

Once a Reddit punchline, has become a reality.

In 2017, CNN.com reported that Colorado generated over $500,000,000.00 in marijanua sales tax.  That’s a half a BILLION dollars.  Let that sink in for a moment.  For skeptics who think that the legal marijuana industry resembles the days of shady drug deals from sketchy sorts… think again.  The green gold rush is a modern day cash machine, and many states are following Colorado, Oregon and Washington for a piece of the action.

Yet, while the industry is starting to see the rays of light, coming out of the dark ages of marijuana prohibition, certain aspects of life have not changed.   I am reminded of a r/showerthoughts I read on the front page of Reddit.com.  It said,

Back in the 90’s it was smoking in the boys room. Now it’s vaping in the gender neutral bathroom.

I got a laugh.  A fan of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe growing up, I remembered the classic hit, “Smoking In The boys Room“.  A coming of age rock anthem, it tells the genrationless story of breaking the rules, disobeying authority and of course, sneaking away from class to have a smoke with your buddies in private.  I passed the punchline around the water cooler at work and didn’t think much about it.

Then, it finally happened.

Not too long ago, I walked into a public restroom in Colorado, and there it was staring me right in the face.  Two teenage guys passing a vape pen back n’ forth in the bathroom.  I hummed the melody to myself and couldn’t help but smirking.  The Redditor had foretold the truth.  Smoking in the Boys Room was what your dad and grandpa did… Now, we VAPE in the boys room.  Truth be told, the mixture of odors in the bathroom was overwhelming.  Shit in the stalls and industrial grade chemicals designed to mask the smells therein made it impossible to tell if the guys who were vaping were smoking weed or nicotine oils.  Besides, I didn’t care anyway.  For me it was the humor of the situation.

Hard facts on the recreational marijuana tax income are tough to dispute.  Similarly, it’s hard to dispute that vaping has now become… ahem, cool in a bad boy sort of way. Vaporizers, well known among recreational marijuana customers for their practical usage, are making the transition into mainstream culture. Some of the benefits listed among pro-vaping advocates include no ash, no tar, no second hand smoke and no smell. The devices are largely customizable and the individual owner can adjust the amount of nicotine which they inhale on each puff. It’s their preference; It’s their choice.

With any product, there will be clientele for the high end and more economic, i.e., less pricey options. Tesla has the Model X (MSRP: From $79,500) and the Model 3 (MSRP: From $35,000) Vaporizers range in price from $12.99 for a cheapy to over $4000! According to online vape dealer, Sky Life, mid-level portable vapes are selling.  “The  Boundless CFV Vaporizer ($219) is a popular item”, says Sidney Rockwell of California, Sky Life LLC.  “It offers a lot of options, but it won’t break the bank either. We’re seeing more buyers who want certain features, but don’t want to spend a lot of money”.

But these are just teenagers and they shouldn’t be smoking anyway, some of you might be saying now.  Let me do a little self reflection.  Did I have a fake I.D. when I was a teenager?  Check.  Did I use that fake I.D. to buy booze and share with my friends? Double-check.   So, just like Mötley Crüe reinvented Brownsville Station’s 1973 hit to appeal to their 80’s metal audience, so vaping in the boys room is ushered into 2018.  As a wise man once said, the more things change, the more they stay the same.