Reason.com : No Smoke, Yet Ire

[BuGlen]

Excellent op-ed on the upcoming FDA regulations and why they're a bad idea:

No Smoke, Yet Ire - Reason.com

ETA: New York Post ran the same article:
http://nypost.com/2013/10/23/the-lunatic-war-on-e-cigarettes/

ETA: Also picked up by TownHall.com:
http://townhall.com/columnists/jacobsullum/2013/10/23/no-smoke-yet-ire-n1730073

Looks like this article is getting some circulation pretty fast.

 

[Uma]

What a wonderful way to start my day. Good find!!

 

[cdsaint66]

Okay, I've added Reason to my bookmarks. They're just too spot on with many of their pieces not to keep an eye on them.

 

[AgentAnia]

Double thumbs-up to Mr. Sullum and reason.com!

 

[Kent C]

Like the wrap up:

"Survey data indicate that e-cigarette use is overwhelmingly concentrated about current and former smokers.

It's in the shift from the former category to the latter that the disease-reducing potential of e-cigarettes lies. Impeding that transition by imposing arbitrary restrictions on e-cigarette advertising, sales, and flavors would be a literally fatal error."

People, journalists, writers, scientists, politicians who don't understand this or who refuse to understand this, definitely have some other agenda in mind other than the health of smokers, vapers, children and other non-smokers.

 

[Kent C]

Double thumbs-up to Mr. Sullum and reason.com!

I met Jacob once at a combined Atlas Society/Reason event. Nice guy... I was a subscriber to Reason mag for decades and a close friend of one of the staff there.

 

[Hoosier]

The comments on the article are, for the most part, pretty good too.

 

[Kent C]

The comments on the article are, for the most part, pretty good too.

Yes.. the 'pipe smoker' went through a mini-conversion on the 'motion' aspect. I would have included the vapor cloud - which would hit home harder - imagine pipe smoking without the smoke ;-)

And his 'I guess if you're just doing it for the nicotine hit... well ok, knock yourself, you should be free to do that.' ... is straight libertarianism.

 

[Hoosier]

Yeah, the pipe smoker's thread was my favorite.

 

[Kent C]

Yeah, the pipe smoker's thread was my favorite.

I do understand the 'fake smoker' thing, esp. from a pipe smoker where 'paraphernalia' is part of that whole ritual. If he only knew what we go through.

 

[sebt]

Favourite comment from the thread:

Rich|10.23.13 @ 8:52AM|#

Obviously the solution is to require additives that make the e-cigs smell bad and cause cancer.

....because the ANTZ are already adding these to e-cigs inside their own weird minds (which is the only place they'll accept evidence from).

 

[AgentAnia]

This comment is a win in my book. From nisakiman in the New York Post:

The (entirely predictable) reaction of the Tobacco Control Industry to e-cigs merely serves to highlight the fact that smoking bans and all the attendant restrictions are not, and never have been about health; they were always intended to be an ideological pogrom on smokers and smoking.

Anything which vaguely resembles smoking thus serves to inflame the holy zealots to self-righteous apoplexy. What they fear most is that smokers who use e-cigs will circumvent the punishment, vilification and social exclusion so carefully crafted for them by the fanatics. The thought of them actually being able to go to a bar and enjoy a beer and a smoke (albeit an odourless facsimile thereof) is something they can't bear to countenance.

 

[Uma]

Wow, good find!!

 

[Psyche]

The ANTZ are gonna freak if they start to see common sense like this plaguing the media
Think of those poor imaginary children they keep going on about

Thanks to the OP for the links.

 

[Anjaffm]

The ANTZ are gonna freak if they start to see common sense like this plaguing the media

Common sense? OMG! I bet common sense causes cancer! Or at least corns on your toes and bad breath! In that combination! Quick, fake some "studies"