Vape Ban Is a Wretched Nanny State Move [PHIL-OSOPHY]

Oblivious Massachusetts politicians favor supervised "shooting galleries" for heroin addicts to inject deadly poison into their bodies, but God forbid you inhale lemon-scented water vapor.

It's legal for adults here to inhale marijuana smoke and yet adults are banned from vaping non-intoxicating steam? I know it won't happen, but the policymakers should get their heads out of the clouds. This ban on vaping is ridiculous and in my opinion an example of the government nanny state at its worst.

If the Massachusetts politicians and the army of health civil servants really were concerned with the welfare of its citizens, it would ban deadly cigarettes and the 5,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke. Instead of making vaping products taboo, the commonwealth should instead clamp down on the health-devastating poisons of alcohol that kill people and junk foods that are linked to obesity.

E-cigarettes, according to a landmark review in Great Britain, are 95 percent less harmful than tobacco. The scientific study, readily accessible online, concluded that vaping has a good potential to help smokers quit tobacco. Tell that to the American Cancer Society. Public Health England or PHE maintains that the amount of sticky black tar that accumulates in the lungs of a heavy smoker is so much more than the trace found inhaling nicotine from an e-cigarette.

The false belief that vaping is as harmful as smoking is preventing smokers from switching to much safer e-cigarettes to help them quit. A government ban only reinforces that false belief.

Researchers in the same PHE study found that using e-cigarettes on a long-term basis is relatively safe, similar to using licensed nicotine products, like nicotine patches or gum. Using e-cigarettes will boost your chances of quitting successfully.

The only problem is convincing the nanny state government in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.