New York City, Chicago and other parts of the country are banning electronic cigarettes anywhere smoking is prohibited. The nanny state ninnies pushing this are doing a severe disservice to folks who are trying to stop smoking or want the pleasure of seeming to smoke without doing it. These devices simulate smoking by vaporizing a liquid that may or may not contain nicotine, depending on the “smoker’s” preference. They aren’t traditional cigarettes, and the vapor isn’t smoke.
So why the moves to ban them? Because using e-cigarettes sort of looks like smoking, although anyone who isn’t blind can easily see that these aren’t the real deal. Prohibitionists also cry that there needs to be more scientific study, even though there isn’t a scintilla of evidence that e-cigs are as harmful as inhaling smoke. Until there is definitive proof of adverse consequences we should leave e-cigs alone. After all, they are ideal for smokers working to break the habit or trying to avoid going back to it. They’re a tool in the fight against cigarettes.
This mindless attack against e-cigarettes is reminiscent of the assaults against smokeless tobacco. Masticating tobacco is repulsive and harmful, but, again, it’s small beer compared with cigarettes. However, such distinctions are lost on the growing ranks of behavioral dictators.
Forbes Staff
E-Cig Bans Should Go Up In Smoke
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