Previously, we saw the NY Times editorial board calling for lots of Government restrictions on electronic cigarettes, which matches some in the progressive community doing the same. In fact, the Times has been covering e-cigs for awhile now, and taking the position that since we do not really know, regulate! Today we get
Selling a Poison by the Barrel: Liquid Nicotine for E-Cigarettes
A dangerous new form of a powerful stimulant is hitting markets nationwide, for sale by the vial, the gallon and even the barrel.
The drug is nicotine, in its potent, liquid form — extracted from tobacco and tinctured with a cocktail of flavorings, colorings and assorted chemicals to feed the fast-growing electronic cigarette industry.
These “e-liquids,†the key ingredients in e-cigarettes, are powerful neurotoxins. Tiny amounts, whether ingested or absorbed through the skin, can cause vomiting and seizures and even be lethal. A teaspoon of even highly diluted e-liquid can kill a small child.
Obviously, this means heavy regulation by Government. There’s no doubt that nicotine in a liquid form can be dangerous: when I fill my e-cig tanks, I’m careful, and immediately wash my hands. Though it is only a tiny bit getting on my fingers, typically from taking the cap off the tank.
But, like e-cigarettes, e-liquids are not regulated by federal authorities. They are mixed on factory floors and in the back rooms of shops, and sold legally in stores and online in small bottles that are kept casually around the house for regular refilling of e-cigarettes.
And, in Liberal World, everything MUST be regulated by the federal authorities. Interestingly, I’m not so sure that liberals who use e-cigs would agree. I also find it interesting that these same liberals at the NY Times, along with the other Dems calling for massive regulation, have no problem with a non-related person taking an underage girl across state lines for an abortion. In fact, they think making sure there are no restrictions on abortion is a Great Idea.
The problems with adults, like those with children, owe to carelessness and lack of understanding of the risks. In the cases of exposure in children, “a lot of parents didn’t realize it was toxic until the kid started vomiting,†said Ashley Webb, director of the Kentucky Regional Poison Control Center at Kosair Children’s Hospital.
And since some people are pure idiots, others have to pay the price. Anyone else getting the idea that the “article” belongs in the opinion section, not the business section?
Cynthia Cabrera, executive director of Smoke Free Alternatives Trade Association, said she would also favor regulations, including those that would include childproof bottles and warning labels, and also manufacturing standards. But she said many companies already were doing that voluntarily, and that parents also needed to take some responsibility.
I don’t have a problem with that. Though, adults seem to have more problems with childproof bottles than children. There are warning labels on the liquid I purchase. There are warnings on the Blu e-cigs I started with. Some manufacturing standards would not be bad. I like that the people at the store I purchase from are puffing on the same stuff I am buying. They wouldn’t be doing that if they were concerned over what they were purchasing.
But that’s not what this push is about. This is about massive government regulation, and increasing taxation on a sector of the economy that is moving and growing. And, as noted time and time again in the comments, this is simply a hysterical scare story, in other words, an opinion piece in disguise. This is the Nanny State in action. We can have a legitimate, rational, adult debate without the bat-guano crazy.
