PICTURE perfect

It’s fair to say that defending vaping as a life-saving alternative to deadly cigarettes is tiring and, in many cases, thankless work.

There are countless people who would rather you denounce the reduced risk product and fall in line with the anti-vaping narrative being pushed by lobbyist groups and activists.

But every so often there’s a glimmer of joy…a slither of brightness that pierces through the naysayers and doom spreaders.

This might be the story of an ex-smoker who finally quit through the power of e-cigarettes, a politician acknowledging the public health power of vaping or, in Colin Mendelsohn’s case, a portrait.

In a recent Twitter post, Australia’s ‘first pro-vaping doctor’ said that advocacy is ‘gruelling’, but this portrait created by vaper and artist Paula Prentice is ‘one of the rewards’.

Explaining the motivation behind the piece, Prentice said: “This is my way of thanking you and honouring you for all the work you have done and continue to do for smokers and vapers…you are appreciated.”