Posted on 12/08/2019 4:10:38 AM PST by Kaslin
Massachusetts recently became the first state to ban the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products, including menthol cigarettes. Given the rise in teen vaping and the increasing number of lung disease cases we are seeing around the nation, including 10 confirmed cases in Massachusetts alone, it is understandable why Governor Baker and state legislators would feel the need to take action.
However, a total flavored nicotine ban will not be effective at solving the problem it was introduced to fix. Of the 10 patients that have been verified to have the acute lung disease in Massachusetts, five of the patients reported vaping only THC, four reported vaping both THC and nicotine, and there is only one person who reported vaping nicotine-only products.
Given this data, and the fact that the Center for Disease Control has officially pointed the finger at vitamin E acetate, which is found in THC related products, as the leading driver for this epidemic, it would appear that a flavor ban for nicotine products won’t actually decrease the instances of lung disease. Instead, it will likely push legal consumers of flavored nicotine products to the black market, where the lung disease issue originated.
All in all, this ban could increase the number of lung disease cases.
The new policy also highlights a hypocrisy among Massachusetts legislators, who support legalizing recreational marijuana but also want to ban nicotine products. Ironically, legal recreational marijuana actually exacerbates the lung disease issue.
While it may seem counterintuitive, what we have seen across the country in states and localities that legalized marijuana is that the legal market fuels the black market. For example, in Los Angeles, you will find that the number of illegal weed dispensaries vastly outnumber the legal locations.
In other places, low priced cannabis encourages illegal operations to push their products across state lines. We’ve seen this in Idaho, where since its neighboring state Oregon legalized marijuana, the amount of illicit weed that police catch coming across the border into Idaho has skyrocketed.
Back in Massachusetts, we have seen that their high taxes have caused the cost of legal marijuana to increase heavily, making illicit marijuana a more attractive option. In addition, the complex licensing that businesses have to go through, particularly in Boston, has discouraged many owners from transitioning to a legal marijuana dispensary. This grey area, especially given that the substance is still illegal at the federal level, has led to the flourishing of the marijuana black market.
And all the data is pointing to the black THC market as the main driver in the lung disease cases across the nation.
So while liberal states like Massachusetts are rushing to legalize marijuana, it is hypocritical that they are also moving to ban flavored nicotine products, especially if their goal is to address the recent onset of lung disease cases. Given that this ban will only push nicotine products to the black market, and since the black market is clearly the main driver of lung disease cases, the Massachusetts ban will likely result in more cases of lung disease, not less.
Hopefully, other states will take a look at the hypocritical and ineffective policies in Massachusetts and take a more measured and scientific approach that focuses on addressing black market sales of vaping products, particularly THC laced products.
Laura Ingraham harps on this every other day on twitter. She wants our big savior government to ban the flavors.
Liberal states are now making money off the sale of pot. But they hate vaping. And they don’t ban cigarettes. I don’t understand why.
I’d like our big savior government to ban the sound of Laura’s voice.
Don’t waste your time trying to understand liberals.
They _feel_ something bad is happening, then _something_ must be done.
Anything—no matter how stupid.
No matter how much it contradicts other policies.
No matter if it contradicts what they said last week.
And—if you oppose their policy, any policy you are an evil racist white nationalist hater who needs to be banned from the Internet.
If you insist on understanding liberals then the recommended training manual is Alice in Wonderland!
Just great, now were gonna have flavor cartels! Aren’t prohibition/criminal monopolies wonderful? Almost a century later, and we still haven’t learned.
I wonder if the States can be sued for participating in the injury to their constituents? Maybe they’’ be forced to return those ill gotten goods to the people in the form of hospitalization, treatments for cancer and other nasties. Something that they whined about with tobacco.
Its not important politically to fix a problem, just to give the perception of caring and fixing, even when you don’t address the actual problem. Were all sheep.
Seems like vaping companies need to improve their lobbying game and *cough cough* and increase political donations.
You nailed it.
New industries that grow rapidly often fail to mobilize lobbyists and “external affairs” types to “handle” the politicians.
Good full service metro DC law firms are available for funneling cash and other bennies to politicians as needed—you just need to give them a call!
(This happens on a fractal basis on the state and local level as well.)
If you are willing to spend the big bucks the politicians will start requiring federal subsidies/grants for your product.
For crazy big bribery bucks your product will become eligible for Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement!
And,almost everywhere in Mass, you can drive for less than an hour and buy Vape Juice in CT, RI, NH, VT, NY, and ME.
The law of unintended consequences always applies. More kids will develop a taste for tobacco and end up smoking the real thing.
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