But, hey, it’s for the kids or something!
(AP) U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier is proposing legislation that would regulate electronic cigarettes in the same way that tobacco products are currently regulated.
Speier, D-Hillsborough, announced the proposed law — called the Stop Selling and Marketing to Our Kids E-Cigarettes Act, or SMOKE — on Friday morning in front of the San Francisco General Hospital emergency room.
Speier says the e-cigarette industry is targeting children and teenagers by offering products flavored like gummy bears, cotton candy and chocolate cake.
Parts of the legislation would prohibit the use of flavorings in the products and require the Food and Drug Administration to establish childproof packaging standards and dosage limits.
This is simply using kids to enforce the Nanny State, because You just can’t be trusted to make your own decisions. I have a post sitting in the hopper from around a month ago that I never got around to posting, featuring Tom Harkin (D) whining in the same manner.
The #SMOKEAct will protect our youth from the aggressive marketing of clearly addictive #ecigarette products http://t.co/9Ba39rhdNU
— Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) June 20, 2014
I have to wonder: if Dems are so concerned about children being marketed to with flavors, then why aren’t they doing anything about all the flavored alcohol? How many flavors of vodka are there? How about rum? Tequila?Schnapps? Beers? Cider drinks?
Then there’s the constant legalization of pot. How about drinks infused with THC? I see watermelon, peach, and blueberry, among others. How about all sorts of treats, like chocolate bars, chocolate drops, brownies, cookies, “jolly drops”, and so many others, available in a wide variety of flavors? Where is the concern about that being marketed to kids?
In fact, this is a completely ginned up issue. Practically the only advertising you will see for e-cigs are for ones that taste like cigarettes, such as the TV commercials for Blue e-cigs. You’ll hear some for others, like Njoy, on the radio. The ones that are marketed are primarily the type where you purchase replacement cartridges to attach to the replacement batteries, what are commonly referred to as disposables, rather than ones where you are purchasing e-juice, used to fill a clearomizer, which is attached to a battery. This is what I’ve been using.
Of course the tobacco companies support these regulations, because the regs won’t affect them. They aren’t really the ones offering all the different flavors.
Perhaps Ms. Speiers can explain why she is doing the dirty business of Big Tobacco, as well as not going after THC/Marijuana and alcohol.
