End Game
A F r a m e w o r k f o r I m p l e m e n t a t i o n A p p e n d i x B
End Game.
It's not a word that means much to most people,unless you smoke or use smokeless tobacco or hell enjoy a cigar or a pipe occasionally.
Maybe you like some Swedish snus on occasion,maybe you just use an electronic cigarette.
Maybe the words end game mean nothing to you at all,but they should.
End Game is the plan to end nicotine use unless under regulatory schemes.
It's tobacco control's best idea,a way to take everything away from all of us.
I just vape and use snus,but to these people I am no different than someone who smokes or smokes cigarettes or a pipe or cigars.
I hope we can get past the us versus them bullshit I keep seeing because eventually all of us who use nicotine in any form will be needed to try and stem the tide of tobacco control's success.
Comprehensive Long Term Nicotine Policy
I should clarify that not all tobacco control people are this draconian but some of them are and their plans are clearly spelled out
Monday, October 4, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Third Hand Smoke
High risk of nicotine transfer from clothing
Another day,another horrible story about nicotine,smoking,parenting and science.
I can't pretend to understand the science behind it but I am pretty sure the immune system plays a role in how our bodies,skin and organs handle toxins on a day to day basis.
It's not that I question the ethics of the scientists it is only that conditions in a lab don't reflect conditions in the real world.
Third hand smoke for those who might not already know it was an odd concept.
Richard White author of the excellent book Smoke Screens has a wonderful post about it on his blog.
When you read about how the research was carried out on this" new smoking catastrophe" I'm sure you won't be surprised,I know I wasn't.
Richard White On Thirdhand Smoke
Another day,another horrible story about nicotine,smoking,parenting and science.
Here again the results were unambiguous: in the laboratory experiment, scientists say the toxins from the cigarette smoke that were dissolved in the perspiration caused massive damage to the skin cells; for example, they changed their shape and even, where the concentration was high, died off. Similarly, nerve cells, which are particularly active during the early stages of development, showed clear changes and were no longer able to connect properly with one another. The Hohenstein scientists are now publishing the results of their work in a scientific journal.How a baby's skin cell reacts in a lab under controlled conditions isn't exactly how an infant's skin will react to the same conditions away from the lab.
I can't pretend to understand the science behind it but I am pretty sure the immune system plays a role in how our bodies,skin and organs handle toxins on a day to day basis.
It's not that I question the ethics of the scientists it is only that conditions in a lab don't reflect conditions in the real world.
Third hand smoke for those who might not already know it was an odd concept.
Richard White author of the excellent book Smoke Screens has a wonderful post about it on his blog.
When you read about how the research was carried out on this" new smoking catastrophe" I'm sure you won't be surprised,I know I wasn't.
Richard White On Thirdhand Smoke
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sin Taxes
I always seem to be reading something.
99% of the time I wind up reading something about the encoraching nanny state here in America.
Today Google Alerts pointed me to something I think got published on Monday in the Washington Times.
Washington Times Comments
He seems to be upsetting constituents on a number of fronts.
But what I took away from that article wasn't the angry person upset about the ground zero victims and their families.
I found the comments section was much more informative and useful to my personal experiences in the world.
The smoking ban alienates a minority group of folks who are indulging in the use of a product that is despite some efforts isn't illegal to use.
No smoking inside,no smoking outside and yet tobacco is still a very legal and extremely regulated consumer product,fully legal to purchase,but where it can be used is being prohibited.
There is always a reason why feel good politics seemingly does something without attempting to stamp out the root cause of the problem.
It always comes down to money.
There is no real concern for anyone's health or welfare.
The comments from the story I read today are what I linked to,not because the story itself wasn't interesting but because the comment left by a non -smoker rings so much truer than anything I have ever read about why feel good politics is so prevalent in the world today.
99% of the time I wind up reading something about the encoraching nanny state here in America.
Today Google Alerts pointed me to something I think got published on Monday in the Washington Times.
Washington Times Comments
All politicians that promote sin taxes are two faced. They never want you to quit alcohol or smoking, they just use that as a ruse to increase taxes on those products...if they wanted to really get you to quit, they wouldn't bank on the money from those "sin taxes" .The story itself was a small mostly angry rant about how out of touch Bloomberg really is.
He seems to be upsetting constituents on a number of fronts.
But what I took away from that article wasn't the angry person upset about the ground zero victims and their families.
I found the comments section was much more informative and useful to my personal experiences in the world.
The smoking ban alienates a minority group of folks who are indulging in the use of a product that is despite some efforts isn't illegal to use.
No smoking inside,no smoking outside and yet tobacco is still a very legal and extremely regulated consumer product,fully legal to purchase,but where it can be used is being prohibited.
There is always a reason why feel good politics seemingly does something without attempting to stamp out the root cause of the problem.
It always comes down to money.
There is no real concern for anyone's health or welfare.
The comments from the story I read today are what I linked to,not because the story itself wasn't interesting but because the comment left by a non -smoker rings so much truer than anything I have ever read about why feel good politics is so prevalent in the world today.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The Tipping Point
I read an interesting article today in Tobacco Reporter.
It seems like some people are quite worried about contraband tobacco.
I suppose it's something to have a vaild concern about,if Canada's government were really concerned about tobacco being adulterated and people getting hurt by ingredients that shouldn't be there.
That isn't what they are afraid of though(suprise,suprise) their biggest concern is that with cheap cigarettes being so widely available cheap tobacco might once again become socially acceptable.
Is that something to be so afraid of?
It seems like it's a bottom line issue,but it always is.
It seems like some people are quite worried about contraband tobacco.
I suppose it's something to have a vaild concern about,if Canada's government were really concerned about tobacco being adulterated and people getting hurt by ingredients that shouldn't be there.
That isn't what they are afraid of though(suprise,suprise) their biggest concern is that with cheap cigarettes being so widely available cheap tobacco might once again become socially acceptable.
"The problem is getting near a tipping point," said Mark Holland, the Liberal public safety critic. "If contraband tobacco becomes too prevalent, it just becomes socially acceptable.... If we cross that line, if we have that tipping point, it will be almost impossible to stamp out."
Is that something to be so afraid of?
It seems like it's a bottom line issue,but it always is.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Cease To Be
There is a reason I love the Cato Institute.
Besides having what I consider reasonable ideas they published an amazing handbook in 2009 that I just started reading.
Cato Institute Handbook For Policymakers:Tobacco
It's called The Cato Handbook For Policymakers.
Included inside on chapter 23,I found this little gem.
As former Commissioner David A. Kessler stated, outlining his concept of FDA oversight: ‘‘Only those tobacco products from which the nicotine had been removed or, possibly, tobacco products approved by FDA for nicotine-replacement therapy would then remain on the market.’’ In other words, cigarettes as we know them would cease to exist.
Truer words were never written.
No one should be allowed to make something they don't like go away.
It doesn't matter how damaging it could be.
Reasonable laws would and could have been applied to tobacco if only cooler heads had prevailed.
Instead you see what happens around the world when someone begins a crusade.
It might begin with the best of intentions but it usually turn into a huge stinky pile by the time all is said and done.
It can and has gone so far as to challenge amendments to our constitution here in America.
In other places it has lead to an odd prohibition of sorts,in some other places it has lead it's leaders to propose an all out ban on smoking,using or buying any tobacco product would be the courageous way to handle things.
What people forget when they impose their will on others is a simple thing,people will do what they want and hurray if it's legal but if it isn't then they will still do what they wish to do.
The path we are headed down is just going to get worse,this is what demoralizing something does.
It hurts people,economies and personal freedoms.
George Santayana said 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'
Besides having what I consider reasonable ideas they published an amazing handbook in 2009 that I just started reading.
Cato Institute Handbook For Policymakers:Tobacco
It's called The Cato Handbook For Policymakers.
Included inside on chapter 23,I found this little gem.
As former Commissioner David A. Kessler stated, outlining his concept of FDA oversight: ‘‘Only those tobacco products from which the nicotine had been removed or, possibly, tobacco products approved by FDA for nicotine-replacement therapy would then remain on the market.’’ In other words, cigarettes as we know them would cease to exist.
Truer words were never written.
No one should be allowed to make something they don't like go away.
It doesn't matter how damaging it could be.
Reasonable laws would and could have been applied to tobacco if only cooler heads had prevailed.
Instead you see what happens around the world when someone begins a crusade.
It might begin with the best of intentions but it usually turn into a huge stinky pile by the time all is said and done.
It can and has gone so far as to challenge amendments to our constitution here in America.
In other places it has lead to an odd prohibition of sorts,in some other places it has lead it's leaders to propose an all out ban on smoking,using or buying any tobacco product would be the courageous way to handle things.
What people forget when they impose their will on others is a simple thing,people will do what they want and hurray if it's legal but if it isn't then they will still do what they wish to do.
The path we are headed down is just going to get worse,this is what demoralizing something does.
It hurts people,economies and personal freedoms.
George Santayana said 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'
Sunday, September 26, 2010
ep-ology by Carl V. Phillips: Our comments to the FDA re graphical warnings on c...
From voices of reason.
I am always delighted to read anything by Carl Phillips or the tobacco harm reduction org. people.
I think they are one of very few pro tobacco harm reduction people who write things that make sense.
I agree with alot of what they say and I'm happy to put this on my blog (that no one ever reads) and share it with the world.
Interesting
Christopher Snowdon Interviews Scott Ballin
I love Christopher Snowdon,it's simply an over site that his blog isn't listed on my blog roll on the side of this blog.
It is odd when you think of tobacco control as a community you tend to think of people who don't want you to have anything.
From some members of the tobacco control community that might very well be true.
There is a small group in the tobacco control community that seeks outright prohibition of both the plant tobacco and the ingredient in tobacco nicotine.
There is also a group that from my obviously limited vision seems a bit more reasonable.
The proponents of tobacco harm reduction seem to be a small group who don't want prohibition of everything outright.
It's strange to see a group have slight differences like this, but it makes for an interesting journey for everyone ahead as they seem to be a minority.
A minority I support but ....................................
I love Christopher Snowdon,it's simply an over site that his blog isn't listed on my blog roll on the side of this blog.
It is odd when you think of tobacco control as a community you tend to think of people who don't want you to have anything.
From some members of the tobacco control community that might very well be true.
There is a small group in the tobacco control community that seeks outright prohibition of both the plant tobacco and the ingredient in tobacco nicotine.
There is also a group that from my obviously limited vision seems a bit more reasonable.
The proponents of tobacco harm reduction seem to be a small group who don't want prohibition of everything outright.
It's strange to see a group have slight differences like this, but it makes for an interesting journey for everyone ahead as they seem to be a minority.
A minority I support but ....................................
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