By Peter Burrows 1/22/19 elburropete@gmail.com 

Back in 1936, Hollywood released a movie, “Reefer Madness,” that purported to show the dangers of smoking marijuana cigarettes, commonly called reefers. One inhale would bring on manic, violent behavior, even death. Seen as a warning almost 90 years ago, today it is simply ludicrous.

Attitudes have changed so much that New Mexico may soon become the eleventh state to legalize recreational use of marijuana. Some people say legalization constitutes the real “reefer madness,” but most of us think that recognizing marijuana realities is a sanity long overdue.

For a REAL insanity, consider the hysterical grandstanding by politicians and government bureaucrats over something that not too long ago was considered to be not only sane, but a Godsend: vaping nicotine.

What vaping refers to is using an electronic cigarette, called an e-cigarette, to inhale nicotine without burning tobacco. The devices, some of which look like old-fashioned cigarette holders, use a rechargeable battery to heat a nicotine infused liquid to a vapor, which is then inhaled. No smoke, no smell, no lung cancer.

Introduced 15 years ago by a Chinese company, e-cigarettes have grown to a world-wide $7 billion industry, helping thousands of people quit old-fashioned cigarettes and almost all of their attendant health risks. FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC last October, “If we could switch every adult smoker to an e-cigarette, it would have a profound public health impact.”

Nonetheless, Dr. Gottlieb is threatening to have the federal government outlaw the sale of e-cigarettes because non-adults are starting to vape, big time. While vaping is still far less popular with kids than smoking was 30 years ago, Gottlieb et al are crusading to “save our children” from vaping by making vaping products illegal FOR EVERYBODY.

How stupid. Is the doctor being paid by the drug cartels to create a new market for them? Doesn’t he realize the ban would affect mostly adults, and since some kids will take up cigarettes anyway, isn’t vaping a far better alternative?

If you’re like me, you probably didn’t realize a non-elected government bureaucrat could shut down a billion-dollar industry without due process simply because that bureaucrat was on a moral crusade.

Why not just ban cigarettes, Dr. Gottlieb? Oh, I forgot: cigarette taxes raise a lot of money for you bureaucrats to spend.

Question for Dr. Gottlieb: Who made you God?

Question for the reader: Does it make sense to legalize marijuana and simultaneously illegalize nicotine vaping?