Massachusetts House Passes Bill that Promotes Marlboro Cigarettes; Why are They Doing This Huge Favor for Philip Morris?

Yesterday was a dream come true at the Massachusetts State House for Philip Morris USA - the nation ' s largest domestic cigarette manufacturer. The Housevoted to approve a bill that bans the sale of all e-cigarettes except those with tobacco flavoring, bans the sale of menthol cigarettes, and imposes a 75% excise tax on all e-cigarettes. According to an article in theBoston Globe, the aim of the legislation is " to protect young people from the harmful effects of tobacco. "The Rest of the StoryIf the purpose of this legislation is to protect young people from the harmful effects of tobacco, then it is an utter failure. It makes it much easier for a youth in Massachusetts to get their hands on a Marlboro cigarette than a cherry vape. In addition, since proponents of the law argue that e-cigarettes are a gateway to smoking, there are now thousands of youth vapers in Massachusetts who would no longer be able to vape, so by the proponents ' own reasoning, there is going to be a large increase in youth smoking in the state if this bill is enacted.But that ' s not the worst of it.If policy makers think that by banning flavored e-cigarettes they are going to put an end to youth vaping, they are deceiving themselves. Youth are not vaping because the products are flavored. They are vaping because vaping is now viewed as cool. The phenomenon that is cool is vaping, not the use of flavors. If flavored, nicotine-containing e-liquids are no longer available, youth are not simply going to...
Source: The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary - Category: Addiction Source Type: blogs