Time to denormalise the anti-smoking bandwagon
Wednesday, August 27, 2014 at 11:50 I'm on holiday this week, hence the lack of posts. A quick comment, though, on two issues.
One, smoking in cars with children. The government's six-week consultation closes today at 11.45pm so you have a few more hours to register your views. Click here.
Two, the World Health Organisation yesterday announced it would recommend banning the use of e-cigarettes in enclosed public places.
With no evidence to suggest that e-cigs are harmful to the user or anyone nearby it's a ridiculous suggestion that has been widely criticised.
What sticks in my throat though is the fact that some of the loudest voices opposing WHO's recommendation are the likes of ASH and other tobacco control advocates.
If it were not for ASH and their fellow travellers we wouldn't have a comprehensive smoking ban. Smoking would be banned in the overwhelming majority of public places (enough for most people) but pubs and private clubs would be allowed to determine their own policy on smoking.
An amendment to the ban (suggested by Forest) would have allowed separate smoking rooms but that was rejected by ASH and their ilk too.
It was anti-tobacco lobbyists like ASH who created a world where bans are the norm and extending the smoking ban to include anything that looks like a cigarette (even when it is encouraging smokers to cut down or quit) is perceived as a logical extension of that ban.
Without the smoking ban no-one would dare suggest that governments ban the use of e-cigarettes in public places.
One thing leads to another and eventually something you enjoy doing (or consuming) is prohibited too.
So my message to vapers is simple. You might welcome ASH's comments but don't forget that ASH helped create the anti-smoking bandwagon that is now targeting e-cigarettes.
Personally I'd prefer to trust my luck in a lagoon full of man-eating reptiles than rely on ASH's 'support'.
Here, btw, is Forest's response to yesterday's announcement:
"Public health should be driven by evidence-based policies and there is no evidence e-cigs are harmful to users or bystanders.
"Banning their use in enclosed public places is ridiculous. Let the market, not politicians and unelected bureaucrats, decide where e-cigarettes can and can't be used.
"Excessive regulation could destroy a breakthrough product that offers smokers an increasingly popular alternative to cigarettes.
"Common sense suggests that light touch regulation is the way to go, not the clunking fist of the nanny state."
PS. I'm discussing this issue with Jon Gaunt on Fubar Radio shortly after midday.
Earlier today I was interviewed on BBC local radio about smoking in cars carrying children.
Some holiday!
Reader Comments (6)
I think that ASH are playing a pretty clever game here – true to form, as always. Because the fact is that worldwide, many Governments are now scaling down their anti-smoking funding because it simply doesn’t make sense to keep pouring increasing amounts of money towards organisations targeting a decreasing number of people, as smoking rates continue to fall.
E-cigarettes, on the other hand, offer the likes of ASH a wonderful opportunity to pressurise the Government into reversing this trend. Of course they don’t want vaping “stubbed out” at such an early stage! It’s their next “market” once Governments realise (as they are gradually starting to do) that further expenditure on outside anti-smoking groups like ASH is basically pouring money down the drain, especially now that they have plenty of their own “in-house” anti-smoking agencies in place and budgeted for within the NHS.
ASH’ll turn against vapers as soon as they realise they can get more funding for campaigning against e-cigs than they can for campaigning against real cigarettes. Then we’ll see the worm turn and all the same tactics cranked up against vapers in exactly the same way as they were gradually cranked up against smokers – starting with the health risks of “active vaping” (resulting in many giving up), then the objections to the “revolting” smell, then the suggestions of the dangers of “passive vaping,” then the faux research “proving” harm to the innocent bystander, then the health warnings, then the calls for bans in workplaces, then the calls for bans in public places, and so on until a sufficient head of steam has built up for some kind of legislative action to be taken. Oh, some of us have seen it all before … (yawn!)
E-cigarettes are an unexpected giftie for the likes of ASH. No wonder they don’t like the WHO’s announcement! But vapers who genuinely believe that ASH will stick with their current viewpoint seriously need their heads examined - if only so that someone can drag those heads out of the sand that they’re buried in!
ASH is extremely manipulative. They hate smokers and do not work in our interests. Wasn't it Amanda Sandford who angrily said live on air that ASH doesn't give a damn what smokers think.
ASH back ecigs for one reason only. They can see that there are vapers who can be groomed to be smoker haters and they know the ecig product is a brilliant divide and conquer tool.
I have no doubt that once they enlist the help of vapers to beat smokers into criminality, then they'll suddenly find "overwhelmeing evidence" that the "science is settled" and vaping kills babies, puppies, children, and anyone else who even looks at a vape stick from 100 feet away.
If they can force vapers to an island of false security that they're safe from the current smokerphobic hate campaign, ASH will then move in and finish them off after enlisting their help to ban our product of choice from legal sale.
Most vapers know who their true friends are and it isn't tobacco control in any guise. Ash has proved time and again it is a dishonest organisation which simply can't be trusted because it is packed full of phobic extremists.
The only way to save ecigs is to fight against denormalisation and fight for the right of adults to enjoy a legal product whether that's organic tobacco or nicotine vape.
The end of the consultation period coincides with an interview in The Daily Telegraph in which Duncan Selbie, a career civil servant who is currently heading up Public Health England tells us that he was “delighted” with the smoking ban in public places, cars with children present and the moves towards standardised packaging.
The “next step” was likely to be tackling smoking at home, he said.
All for the sake of the children of course. I wonder what Selby proposes. Taking the children of smokers into care? Forcible sterilisation of smokers? For the good of the children of course.
Apparently, Selbie is quite good at running hospitals. It would be helpful if his post along with many others at PHE was made redundant and he was sent back to doing something useful.
I can think of many better ways to spend the £180K plus he costs us in salary alone. I wonder just how many of these unaccountable authoritarian bureaucrats are we paying for?
One thing leads to another and eventually something you enjoy doing (or consuming) is prohibited too.
Clean Air Quality Law
It is hereby ordered that all things that generate chemical releases simular in nature to tobacco smoke are hereby OUTLAWED.
1. Automobiles and gas or diesel engines or any other contivance that emits chemcial releases. This savings equals to the public not being forced to inhale 100s of billions of cigarettes each day.
2. All plants are outlawed as they releases tons daily of the Carcinogen ISOPRENE. Equal in volumes of Millions of cigarettes each day.
3. Restaraunts will be outlawed from preparing any cooked foods as these release 100s of millions of equal cigarettes each day.
4. In home cooking is also outlawed as it produces upwards of 10s of thousands of equal cigarettes inside and outside the home.
5. Outdoor cookouts and fireworks are outlawed as they releases 100s of millions of equivalent cigarettes a day or on weekends in the yards and parks of our city.
6. Humans are hereby outlawed from existence insode the city limits as their own human breath contains hundreds of the same chemicals as found in tobacco smoke!
7. Nature itself is outlawed as it generates Billions of chemcial releases naturally into the atmosphere a day hense posing a threat to human life.
8. This Clean air law becomes effective Immediately.
9. Your preference of suicide is a personal choise,Police will write tickets and lock up any survivors after this law becomes effective. A grace period of 30 days will be in place to educate the public on its existence.
Signed into law by the GHOSTOWN ADMINISTRATION
I agree with Pat and Misty. In the 2010 consultation, ASH wanted all ecigs taken off the market within 21 days. Arnott is on video suggesting that ecigs are dangerous because they are made in China, and I don't see that changing. If ecigs continue to grow in popularity, even the dumbest politician will realise that they are are doing the Government's job for free and that no more money should be wasted on Tobacco Control. ASH supports the the TPD which effectively bans ecigs for a great many vapers. It doesn't actually support ecigs even now.
Some vapers believe they have some people in tobacco control on their side, when the reality is probably that some people in tobacco control have some vapers on their side.