San Francisco Bans Flavored E-Cig Liquid And Menthol Cigarettes

 As the entire state of California has recently taken a step forward  in the drug war by legalizing cannabis, the city of San Francisco has  taken a step back by passing a ban on E-cig liquid and menthol  cigarettes. 

The law had been pending since last summer, due to  challenges from a coalition of businesses including tobacco giant R.J.  Reynolds, the producer of Newport, the most popular menthol cigarette. 

Surprisingly, the ban was supported by nearly 70 percent of the city’s voters. 

“San Francisco’s groundbreaking law stands—and will stop the  tobacco industry from targeting kids, African Americans and other  populations with menthol- and candy-flavored products, as the industry  has done for far too long. The San Francisco vote gives a powerful boost  to growing efforts around the country to end the sale of flavored  tobacco products,” Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids President Matthew Myers said in a statement. 

E-cig liquid has been targeted for the ban because critics say that  it is marketed to children because it is colorful and flavorful.  

However, children are not the only human beings on the planet who like  to add flavor to something that they are enjoying. Lawmakers point to  the fact that E-cigs have become especially popular among young people,  but tobacco products have always been popular among teens—this is not a  new or recent phenomenon. Some lawmakers are even calling for a federal ban on these  substances, and back in March, the FDA announced that it will consider  such a policy. 

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb made a statement at the time, appealing to the danger of E-cigs to children. “No child should use any tobacco products, including e-cigarette.  At the same time, we’re aware that certain flavors may help currently  addicted adult smokers switch to potentially less harmful forms of  nicotine-containing tobacco products. The thought of any child starting  down a path of a lifelong addiction to tobacco, which could ultimately  lead to their death, is unacceptable. We need to take every effort to  prevent kids from getting hooked on nicotine,” Gottlieb said. 

According to CNBC, Wells Fargo analyst Bonnie Herzog wrote in a note  to her clients last week that a federal ban on menthol cigarettes is “extremely unlikely,”  but this isolated law could cause turmoil for tobacco stocks. Herzog  pointed out that menthol represents roughly 35 percent of the entire  tobacco industry’s sales. While a full-on federal ban may not be likely, many other regions may  follow suit with similar bans, especially in neighboring California  cities. 

Oakland, which is just across the bridge from San Francisco,  approved a similar ban in September, and it is scheduled to take effect  later this year. On the east coast, lawmakers in New Jersey are also  seeking to ban menthol cigarettes. It is important to have discussions about which drugs are dangerous  and should be avoided, but they are not discussions to be had in the  halls of Congress. 

The health effects of tobacco products should be  known by everyone, and since it is something that is unhealthy, its use  should be discouraged—but not through the force of law. It is also important to mention that these laws will do nothing to  steer children away from lives of addiction. These products will be just  as readily available on the black market as they are today on the legal  market, but unfortunately, a new class of nonviolent criminals will be  created, and police will have another excuse to fine people and lock  them in cages. 

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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY:

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My name is John Vibes and I am an author and researcher who organizes a number of large events including the Free Your Mind Conference. I write for numerous alternative media websites, including The Free Thought Project @tftproject and The Mind Unleashed. In addition to my first book, Alchemy of the Timeless Renaissance, I have also co-authored three books with Derrick Broze @dbroze : The Conscious Resistance: Reflections on Anarchy and Spirituality, Finding Freedom in an Age of Confusion and Manifesto of the Free Humans

I just won a 3-year-long battle with cancer, and will be working to help others through my experience, if you wish to contribute to my medical bills, consider subscribing to my podcast on Patreon.