New Hampshire Democrats introduced a tax on vaping products this session. For the children. They don’t want anyone getting addicted to nicotine (which does not cause cancer) because they might switch to cigarettes (which do). The logical conclusion of this is the total ban implemented in San Francisco.
Related: Was the NH Democrats New Vaping Tax Supposed to Help Big Tobacco?
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to ban the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes in the city. The city is the corporate home of Juul Labs, the biggest producer of e-cigarettes in the United States.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera co-authored the ordinance, and celebrated the final vote. “This is a decisive step to help prevent another generation of San Francisco children from becoming addicted to nicotine,” he says.
A noble undertaking, but it won’t work, and at what cost?
Yes, nicotine is addicting. I smoked for ten years and quitting sucked. Vaping gives adults choices. A path to dropping tobacco and maybe even nicotine. But nicotine doesn’t cause cancer. So, banning the sale or distribution of all e-cigarettes and vaping products has downsides.
People (including kids who shouldn’t have had access to vape) who can’t get out of the city to buy what they want may switch to more dangerous tobacco.
“This full prohibition will drive former adult smokers who successfully switched to vapor products back to deadly cigarettes, deny the opportunity to switch for current adult smokers, and create a thriving black market instead of addressing the actual causes of underage access and use,” writes Juul spokesman Ted Kwong.
Juul, whose corporate offices are in San Francisco, has an economic interest but that does not mean they are wrong. There will be a thriving black market. Just like the untaxed tobacco underground. Which may connect vapers to cheaper tobacco while they are looking or what will be more expensive vape. And crime.
San Francisco has no shortage of that now. Why not encourage more of it? It seems like their strategy. Because, as noted here, there’s no teen epidemic.
But they banned it anyway.
One more problem? Something Democrats may pretend to care about:
Sales in the store from e-cigarettes account for at least $200 to $300 a day, she says. A board member of the Arab American Grocers Association, Zouzounis says she believes laws like this mostly affect — and penalize — immigrant-owned businesses.
It’s racist. 😉
