Saturday, September 12, 2015

Why Anti- Smokers Hate E-Cigs

Over at the Rest Of The Story blog, Dr. Michael Siegel looks into why anti- smoking zealots are so down on vaping and e- cigarettes. A curious thing for him, being an anti- smoking zealot himself who feels e-cigs are a very effective form of harm reduction. He comes up with four main reasons. He elaborates on them back at his blog:

"First, the concept of using a cigarette-like device that delivers nicotine without using or burning tobacco as a smoking cessation strategy came from outside the tobacco control movement. We did not think of it."- A proprietary conflict, so to speak, but probably some truth to it. 

"Second, electronic cigarettes represent a philosophical and ideological threat to the tobacco control movement because they involve a strategy in which a behavior which looks like smoking is embraced as a method of quitting smoking. This is completely beyond the mindset of 95% of tobacco control practitioners,..."- Agreed. Common with most people. If it looks bad, it is bad.

"Third, electronic cigarettes also represent a philosophical and ideological threat to the tobacco control movement because they involve a harm reduction rather than an abstinence approach."- I've noticed this myself from the medical community.

"Finally, electronic cigarettes also represent a philosophical and ideological threat to the tobacco control movement because they challenge the entrenched principle that nicotine is the sine qua non of smoking addiction."

Some good insights. Especially since they come from someone within the anti- smoking community. One thing he doesn't address is following the money, as someone pointed out in comments to his post. 

Anti- smoking organizations get lots of money from tobacco sales, but what are these groups going to do when that source of revenue dries up? We're already seeing that in this state's attacks on e-cigs. It comes from a steady decline in tobacco sales revenue as people quit or greatly reduce smoking by switching to e-cigs. 

They need another source of revenue and lay the groundwork for that by attacking e-cigs. While e-cigs aren't yet punitively taxed as tobacco is, they're trying their best to demonize them so the public might be more willing to. 

Not a bad strategy to attack those least able to defend themselves- a steadily declining and generally lower income demographic. The doctor is right in his observations, but he also needs to follow the money.

7 Comments:

At 7:59 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Excellent observations, reporting, Fred.
South Dakota lawmakers are questioning the legality of the TC using MSA to attack non tobacco products. This, I believe, is one of the reasons, why the states are rushing to classify vapor steam as tobacco smoke. The main objective, of course, is to classify for taxing & TC funding. Ironic, isn't it, how the major players in creating joblessness, homelessness, via smoking bans, are now terrified of loosing their jobs due to smoking bans. Like they say, what goes around, comes around.
Anybody in their right mind, knows that the right questions to ask are: non HVAQ or HVAQ?

 
At 8:36 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nicotine side effects: weight reduction, appetite suppressor. In light of other "sin taxes" planned, like sugar taxes, is it no wonder the politicians have agreed to hate nicotine? http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0024320596001002
(long-term effects of inhaled nicotine)

 
At 9:40 AM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

I believe I read something a year or two ago about nicotine possibly being beneficial in regards alzheimer's disease. Although it was probably just one of those preliminary study things we read about in the news all the time- you know: A POSSIBLE CURE FOR...insert ailment here- I wouldn't expect them to follow up on it if only because it's nicotine. Ideology seems to direct science much of the time nowadays.

 
At 8:13 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's beneficial in many ways, yes. All government funded studies always end with "more studies will be needed", while all non-grant labs tell it like it is with an open end in case they did miss something.
Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ADHD, Schitzophrenia, (notice most are neurological), etc are helped via nicotine.
Example/: ulcerative colitis: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2014383/
The TC still classify nicotine as "smoking, & highly, extremely addictive" EXCEPT when it's distributed by big Pharma, whom the TC groups profit from via grants & bonuses, for pushing BP drugs. The BP nicotine, has added ingredients that cause irritation & other side effects. Their inhaler has 8 added ingredients, the patch has glues & other chemicals, etc...
The eCig only has optional nicotine, optional water based flavoring, optional vegetable glycerine (.sweet, clouds, used in fog machines) or optional proplyne glycol (throat hit, germ killer, flavor enhancer). Other optionals also available, like MAOi inhibitors, for those who used to smoke due to depression. (Real smokes also have MAOi inhibitors).
The tobacco plant now grows in pharmaceutical nurseries, because of it's many incredible uses, from everything from Ebola cures to cancer cures.

 
At 8:29 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Growing list of positive effects in neurological http://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/Fulltext/2012/01190/Growing_List_of_Positive_Effects_of_Nicotine_Seen.8.aspx

Propylene glycol study http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/91/1/52.abstract

Nicotine improves cognitive skills. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/1579636/
(Olympics banned it because of this)

This site has links to the top ten http://ecigarettereviewed.com/top-10-studies-on-nicotine-you-need-to-know-about/

 
At 9:05 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Even the FDA is spouting off that the non smokers DOUBLE the chances of dying from prostrate cancer. That's right. One out of three prostrate cancer deaths is considered "preventable from dying from smoking related diseases". This alone should awaken the masses how they spin their dribble. The CDC does the same thing. For the first time in history, youth (& adult) smoking is down so far that the tobacco companies don't even have to pay out for MSA anymore. Everyone is switching over to steam, vapor, aka eCigs. But the CDC & TC all scream "kids are vaping!" (Kids that USED to be or otherwise would be smoking) They never yell about smoking being an all time fall of the charts. They never admit nicotine is optional. They never admit nicotine is beneficial to those who do choose to use it. They never admit that nicotine is not as addictive at all when not inside a real smoke. They never admit that Tar & smoke are the dangerous parts of smoking & that vapor contains zero tar or smoke. That's government in action, raising fear in order to raise taxes. The government created nih which created FDA, CDC, HHS, bla bla bla, that all work together to bring in the taxes.
That's why the constitution limits government, not the people.
Then there's the government created EPA, BLM, bla bla bla all working together in separate divisions, to steal our property rights, our property, our water, air, ... plus tax & fine us for doing so.
They use our tax money against us.
Don't fall for the fear mongering.

 
At 10:36 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The doctors never asked patients "have you ever been near the smoke of a burning building?" (Who hasn't, right). Or other pertinent questions such as wind debris after a fallen concrete structure, etc..
The old timers who fought fires, despised the new wood paneling & fire retardants. They'd claim, you don't have to worry about dying from the fire, the fumes will kill you first. You'll pass out, won't know...
Yet the public health remained silent as they thrawrted Heppa filters in favor smoke taxes & bans.
Fumes. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/09/our-toxic-homes/404722/

 

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