Smoking is harmful. You get carbon Monoxide, and carcinogens from the burning tobacco. This is no different than being exposed to industrial smoke, or being a firefighter, just smoking is done for pleasure because it contains the drug nicotine.
Nicotine is toxic, but the amount ingested by smokers isn’t enough to cause any major harm. The harm comes from the smoke. In comes e-cigarette companies with a product that has all the nicotine, but none of the harmful byproducts, but still delivering a similar experience to smoking that wasn’t available through other nicotine replacement properties.
An amazing way to solve a harmful habit in society, right?
WRONG!
You see “Progressives” have become puritans. Smoking is harmful, so labeled “Bad”, vaping, is not harmful, but it LOOKS like smoking, so that too HAS to be bad! BAN IT! Also while tobacco is subject to restrictions and taxes, this non-tobacco product avoids that! They can’t have that either!
YE HAVE SINNED!!!
Great job, “Progressives”!
I sung the praises of the people who got the restaurant/bar smoking ban in California. But like gun controllers, they keep going. Then they had to move the smokers away from doors, then off sidewalks, parks, and now the city of San Rafael banned smoking in your own home (if you share a wall/floor with another dwelling). They’ve totally pissed off the libertarian in me who believes in “do want you want as long as you’re not bothering me.” These people are bothered by people being able to do what they want. Big difference.
I would even argue that before the bans started out (Maine banned smoking in public places about the same time as California) there were still plenty of non-smoking establishments. There were more smoking restaurants than not, and even fewer smoke-free bars, but they existed. When I was 21 (just before the bans in bars hit) I used to pick the bar I wanted to have a drink in after a long day at work for how much I wanted to come home stinking of smoke. Some nights I wanted to drink a few beers and smoke a few cigarettes, so I’d go to the smoking bars, but some nights I wanted to breath fresh air while I had my beer and not have my clothes smelling like an ashtray. Those nights I picked the smoke-free bars.
And in the end I remember as a kid my parents asking for the non-smoking section in the restaurant, and while you could smell smoke, it really wasn’t a bother.
So while I agree with you that the slippery slope of smoking bans is really distasteful, I’d say the initial bans were NOT worthy of praise.