Further Zeller Blather

[AgentAnia]

Nothing new, but by way of keeping up with what the silly nannies are saying:

http:/ /www.vnews. com/news/dartmouth/9410658-95/fda-closes-in-on-e-cigarette-rules

Here's Steve K's short version plus commentary: FDA Tobacco Tsar Focuses on "Dual Use" with eCigs

 

[Fulgurant]

From the link:

But Zeller said he worries about the proportion of people who are using the devices in conjunction with tobacco, rather than as a replacement.

“So far, it seems we’re not getting a lot of complete substitution. So far, it looks like we’re getting dual use,” Zeller said.

“They’re continuing to smoke cigarettes, they’re just replacing some of their cigarettes each day with e-cigarettes. Is that harm reduction?”

Uh, yes, it's harm reduction. See, you take a certain number of known, harmful items and then you replace a few of them with something less harmful. You start with more, you end with less. That's what reduction means, genius. But I realize I'm a biased and unworthy source in the eyes of the high and mighty FDA, so allow me to provide corroborating evidence from a third party source:

reduction - definition of reduction by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

(It's truly frightening that powerful public officials feel perfectly comfortable passing off blatantly idiotic reasoning as a legitimate basis for leveraging the coercive power of government.)

 

[AgentAnia]

....Uh, yes, it's harm reduction. See, you take a certain number of known, harmful items and then you replace a few of them with something less harmful. You start with more, you end with less. That's what reduction means, genius. But I realize I'm a biased and unworthy source in the eyes of the high and mighty FDA, so allow me to provide corroborating evidence from a third party source:

reduction - definition of reduction by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

(It's truly frightening that powerful public officials feel perfectly comfortable passing off blatantly idiotic reasoning as a legitimate basis for leveraging the coercive power of government.)

YES! (Which is exactly what I shouted when I read Zeller's "Is that harm reduction?" question.)

I've come to the unhappy conclusion that these "tsars" are so far gone on themselves that they simply don't realize how stupid and arrogant they sound when they make these stupid and arrogant -- and utterly nonsensical -- utterances. They are evidently unable to accept that there are lay people (not in the scientific/regulatory/public health community) -- i.e., us -- reading this drivel who have more experience and more relevant and comprehensive knowledge of the subject in question than they do. Miles behind us in understanding, they are behaving as though they're in the forefront of the march (which pretty much defines arrogance, doesn't it?) Pfui.