05 Sep 2014 Opponents of E-Cigarettes “Neo-Puritan” in Refusing Science and Logic
Despite a being a “boon” to public health that has won the approval of many health experts as a means of “reduc[ing] the harm from smoking,” there are still “entrenched” nanny state activists acting in a “neo-puritan” fashion who refuse to accept science or logic showing that e-cigarettes are a viable tool in helping people quit using tobacco.
On the 8/29/14 edition of “Byline” on Canada’s Sun News Network, National Center Risk Analysis Division director Jeff Stier bluntly said the “nanny state is focused on controlling how we live.” He added that the opposition to e-cigarettes as an alternative to cigarettes and other tobacco products have changed the terms of their crusade from “improv[ing] public health” to “reducing dependence on nicotine.” In particular, the United Nation’s World Health Organization is calling for a ban on the use of e-cigarettes indoors — at least until more research can be done on e-cigarette vapor.
On the issue of international control of e-cigarettes, Jeff said the U.N. agency is “kind of running the show now” because 168 countries have signed onto an international treaty governing tobacco control and are thus obligated to “implement[ing] the rules” that the WHO hands out.