Emeritus Professor Simon Chapman AO, the high priest of Australia’s anti-vaping cult, said in his submission to the Senate Inquiry into the aptly named, ‘Illegal Tobacco Crisis in Australia’, that cigarette excise was not the cause and reducing cigarette excise is not the solution to the problem. Wow! Well, then what was the cause and what is the solution? Australia’s anti-vaping cult now has to maintain its favoured policies in the presence of severe and increasing unintended consequences while its intellectual arguments have collapsed. One by one. Dr Nick Coatsworth gently nailed the false case made by the anti-vaping cult in a Sydney Morning Herald interview on 18 May and again giving testimony to the Senate Inquiry yesterday. The anti-vaping cult in Australia will soon collapse just like the Warsaw Pact and Comecon collapsed almost forty years ago. When I visited Czechoslovakia in 1985, it seemed like communism would last forever. But four years later it was all gone. Once again, Alan Gor reminds us that the Emperors of the Australian anti-vaping have no clothes. It is encouraging that the Health Minister and Treasurer have recently confirmed that sky high cigarette excise and quasi prohibition of vaping in Australia would definitely remain government policy. Confirmation of indefinite policy continuation is often the first indication of imminent policy reversal. Somewhere, someone is preparing a giant shit sandwich for the Ministers to eat.
I have to say although the economics and social response in situations like this are not the most complicated it is quite amusing to see the effect of misinformation. The government who theoretically (very hard theoretically) should know how to deal with situations like this, but for actually harmful products not vapes is both depressing and comical. With any situation like this, it always backfires on the government and in extremely severe cases such as 1900 us alcohol prohibitionI caused death or severe harm to consumers. I am definitely not the best when it comes to sociopolitical thought processes so why is it that governments keep trying the same failing strategy? Other than stupidity, although that does significantly lower the possible answers to this question.
Beside the shallowness of the media coverage and the clearly uninformed senators that lead inquiries is there anyone who actually is looking into this shit show?
This whole thing can not go for much longer, surely?
It is so obvious, that the whole Australian tobacco, nicotine approach is not working. Something has to be done.
Filling up the prison cells will not do the trick. They know that, surely?
On a side note of genuine amusement (at least to me), I have been informed of coming changes to pharmacy vape products. Apparently the TGA has become concerned that "some existing names have been identified as potentially appealing to younger audiences or suggesting health benefits", thus requiring name changes.
This is applies to retailers that cannot sell to under 18's, that require scripts and proof of age, that sell devices that by law must be sold in the most boring and unappealing color of grey imaginable (apparently even black is too exciting), and whose liquids cannot contain any flavor that is not tobacco, mint or menthol. And these people at TGA are worried that youth might find these products appealing? As opposed to what?
To the black market? - where anyone of any age can buy vapes of any color and name with a vast range of appealing flavors?
I can only laugh at the absurdity of tobacco control in this country...lol
Emeritus Professor Simon Chapman AO, the high priest of Australia’s anti-vaping cult, said in his submission to the Senate Inquiry into the aptly named, ‘Illegal Tobacco Crisis in Australia’, that cigarette excise was not the cause and reducing cigarette excise is not the solution to the problem. Wow! Well, then what was the cause and what is the solution? Australia’s anti-vaping cult now has to maintain its favoured policies in the presence of severe and increasing unintended consequences while its intellectual arguments have collapsed. One by one. Dr Nick Coatsworth gently nailed the false case made by the anti-vaping cult in a Sydney Morning Herald interview on 18 May and again giving testimony to the Senate Inquiry yesterday. The anti-vaping cult in Australia will soon collapse just like the Warsaw Pact and Comecon collapsed almost forty years ago. When I visited Czechoslovakia in 1985, it seemed like communism would last forever. But four years later it was all gone. Once again, Alan Gor reminds us that the Emperors of the Australian anti-vaping have no clothes. It is encouraging that the Health Minister and Treasurer have recently confirmed that sky high cigarette excise and quasi prohibition of vaping in Australia would definitely remain government policy. Confirmation of indefinite policy continuation is often the first indication of imminent policy reversal. Somewhere, someone is preparing a giant shit sandwich for the Ministers to eat.
I have to say although the economics and social response in situations like this are not the most complicated it is quite amusing to see the effect of misinformation. The government who theoretically (very hard theoretically) should know how to deal with situations like this, but for actually harmful products not vapes is both depressing and comical. With any situation like this, it always backfires on the government and in extremely severe cases such as 1900 us alcohol prohibitionI caused death or severe harm to consumers. I am definitely not the best when it comes to sociopolitical thought processes so why is it that governments keep trying the same failing strategy? Other than stupidity, although that does significantly lower the possible answers to this question.
Beside the shallowness of the media coverage and the clearly uninformed senators that lead inquiries is there anyone who actually is looking into this shit show?
This whole thing can not go for much longer, surely?
It is so obvious, that the whole Australian tobacco, nicotine approach is not working. Something has to be done.
Filling up the prison cells will not do the trick. They know that, surely?
On a side note of genuine amusement (at least to me), I have been informed of coming changes to pharmacy vape products. Apparently the TGA has become concerned that "some existing names have been identified as potentially appealing to younger audiences or suggesting health benefits", thus requiring name changes.
This is applies to retailers that cannot sell to under 18's, that require scripts and proof of age, that sell devices that by law must be sold in the most boring and unappealing color of grey imaginable (apparently even black is too exciting), and whose liquids cannot contain any flavor that is not tobacco, mint or menthol. And these people at TGA are worried that youth might find these products appealing? As opposed to what?
To the black market? - where anyone of any age can buy vapes of any color and name with a vast range of appealing flavors?
I can only laugh at the absurdity of tobacco control in this country...lol