If our lawmakers and legislatures give in to the Moral Panic (#moralpanic – we use this hashtag quite a bit these days on Twitter) that the media is creating on the dangers of vaping there will be less chance of tobacco smokers switching to the much safer ‘vaping’ method of quitting, and may cause some vapers to go back to smoking. Now, we know that’s not wise because it’s just what the Government and Big Tobacco want you to do. But due to the restrictions and taxes on liquids and vape gear, some will do just that.
The Telegraph in the U.K. speaks out about the Moral Panic. Here’s a little of it, the link to the full story is at the end of the piece.
“When people have severe allergic reactions to peanuts, we have every sympathy with their experience – and rightly so. But if the BBC responded by fabricating a health panic about the general population’s peanut consumption, we’d think Auntie had gone completely bonkers.”
Starting off excellently, yes?
In the United States, the Centre for Disease Control seems to have traced the cause of vaping-related lung injuries to vitamin E acetate (an additive to bootleg vaping liquid not found in tightly regulated UK products).
Yes, they certainly have. That said, several thousands Twitter users and Vapers have been shouting this out from the rooftops for weeks, totally being ignored. In the meantime, jobs were lost, businesses closed, and people suffered. Things are still screwed up, no doubt, but we’re getting some intelligent reports now and it might get better soon.
I personally hope all those that lost their job or their business will form a Class Action Lawsuit against “everybody involved” to see justice done.
Lastly, from the report:
Professor Peter Hajek at Queen Mary University has compared the outbreak to “methanol poisonings that kill people every now and then when contaminated alcohol is sold.” I think he’s right. We rightly get concerned when peanuts turn up in food they shouldn’t be in.
But we don’t move to ban peanuts altogether.
Now see, this is just how all us Vapers in the US have been talking about this nonsense. But, as much as I hate to say it, something confusing was going on, but it took way too long to figure it out. – DL
