Over the years, the campaign against smoking degenerated from a much needed educational effort into an assertion of state power, a means of moneygrubbing (both by governments and various anti-smoking activist groups), and an opportunity for moral preening by the fiercer anti-smokers. There are few better examples of this than the way that EU regulators prohibit the sale of Swedish (noncarcinogenic) snus anywhere in the bloc other than in Sweden — a decision, given the close association between snus and low rates of smoking in that country, that will come with a heavy toll.
Another example comes from efforts on both sides of the Atlantic to stigmatize, heavily tax, and restrict access to vapes (for adults), much of which (purportedly) rests on the dangers of nicotine, an addictive substance, to be sure, but one that carries few health risks and far, far fewer than smoking, an argument that this administration understands much better than its predecessor.
And yet (via the Wall Street Journal):
The White House is pushing to allow more vape flavors on the market for the first time in years, but Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary opposes the move and is blocking the plan, people familiar with the matter said.
A memo from Makary’s office prevented the authorization of several flavors including menthol, mango and blueberry from Los Angeles-based vape maker Glas, according to agency documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, after FDA scientific reviewers had OK’d the flavors.
The main winners from this delay are the diseases caused by smoking and the sellers of Chinese-made vapes. The latter offer forbidden flavors and who knows what else.
It seems that the FDA will be easing its stance, especially for more “adult” flavors such as mint and coffee. If so, it’s about time.