Progressives’ war on vaping escalated to a new and dangerous phase in the past few weeks, going well beyond mere misinformation and hysterical rhetoric.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, nearly 100 people, mostly teens, have been hospitalized with severe lung damaged; apparently the result of vaping.
The allegations have made national news, yet medical officials say they do not know what products, brands or substances were being used. So how then is the CDC able to blame vaping?
In this headline edition of RegWatch we talk with Dr. Riccardo Polosa, Director of the Institute for Internal Medicine & Clinical Immunology at University of Catania, Italy. Dr. Polosa is the world’s foremost researcher studying the effects of vaping on the respiratory system, and in this episode learn why he thinks these allegations of vaping-related lung damage are beyond credible.
Only on RegWatch, by RegulatorWatch.com.
Produced by: Brent Stafford
Released: August 21, 2019
**MORE ON THE LUNG SCARE – SPECIAL LIVE EDITION OF REG WATCH @ 8PM ET / 5PM PT 08.22.2019***
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As far as I know, there have been no reports of lung damage claimed to be caused by vaping, in the UK. There are now over 2 million vapers here. The only difference is that 50mg/ml Jule liquid is not available in the EU, but this would imply the nicotine is the problem – not the PG/VG or the flavouring. If it were the nicotine, one would expect cigarettes to have a similar effect. I too find the claims beyond credible.
My discomfort with all the news headlines about the blame being on vaping is this:
Say there were sudden deaths and illnesses blamed on smoking methamphetamine?
“Ahh,” you say, “but there ARE!”
Would the headlines then be screaming:
“DANGER! WARNING! MYSTERY AILMENTS AMONG PIPE SMOKERS! IF YOU SMOKE A PIPE YOU SHOULD GET RID OF IT IMMEDIATELY OR YOU MAY DIE TOMORROW!”
Of course you wouldn’t see that. And if you were silly enough to run around shouting it out you’d just be laughed at. But that’s EXACTLY how a lot of the media, likely heavily aided and abetted by the old cadre of AntiSmokers now dressed up in AntiVaper costumes, has reacted as it has portrayed the problem as a “vaping” problem.
The problem isn’t with “vaping,” the problem is with people being happy to try consuming unknown substances from unknown sources in search of unknown effects. It’s like saying “Drinking liquids poisons people!” because some Skid Row extremes might pick up a bottle of ANYTHING that might be alcoholic and chug it and die.
The problem is NOT drinking, or pipe smoking, or vaping: the problem is the SUBSTANCES that fringe elements produce and consume without regulation and checking.
The sad thing likely to come from this (And *exactly* what the AntiVapers want) will be a hyper-regulation of vaping, a hyper-regulation that will be specifically designed to be so expensive that all the smaller cottage industry but legitimate operations will be forced either underground or out of business… leaving the money-bags to sit at the doorsteps of Big Tobacco and Greedy Government as they price and tax vaping to the same level as cigarettes in order to keep their cash flow from the poor pouring into their pockets.
I’ve been watching, reading about, and writing about these people for over thirty years… and I know their tricks inside and out: This *IS* how they will play this circumstance as they laugh all the way to the bank, likely with Big Pharma tagging along at their heels to pick up at least some of their leavings.
– MJM
Great comments Michael!
Thank you Brent. However this may all work out, the mis-portrayal based upon limited evidence here is a stark symptom of how powerful Antismokers have become politically over the past twenty to thirty years since they first tapped into the taxpayers’ pots o’ gold. We’re not that far off from everyone running around on Tuesday believing we’ve always been at war with Ocieana while on Wednesday they all believe we’ve always been at war with Asiana. Concern about “The Media” and language/statistical propaganda tricks played a major part in both my books. That influx of money has bought Antismokers not just a bigger microphone, but also the expertise of people who know how to tweak that microphone to best advantage.
– MJM