Why Ban Vaporized Nicotine? #
June 5th, 2009 | In Worth Considering
William Saletan, as always, makes an interesting point: why, if we’re relatively sure it’s free of the smoke and health risks of cigarettes, are the US, Australia, and and Hong Kong banning nicotine vaporizers? His answer:
We tolerated smoking until science proved it was harmful to nonsmokers. As momentum grew, the war on smoking became cultural, with disapproval and ostracism of anyone who lit up. Electronic cigarettes have removed the war’s scientific basis, but our cultural revulsion persists. Therefore, so does our prohibition and condemnation.