Massachusetts is almost two months into Governor Charlie Baker’s ban on the sale of all vape products in the state and little has changed regarding use of the products, but the policy has pushed the cigarette market far above the now struggling vaping market.
The ban is the result of increased lung illness due to vaping, which the Centers for Disease Control has mostly blamed black market THC vapes for. Legal THC vapes have since been approved for medicinal use in the state, although they were not the cause of the illnesses.
Instead of slowing their habits, however, users have turned to driving out of state to stock up on vaping products or started smoking cigarettes instead.
To be fair, it has been much harder for those under 21 to attain vaping products since the ban was put in place, as those that are able to go out of their way to get it are seldom willing to supply every college freshman currently in withdrawal.
For those of age, though, banning vaping altogether and leaving cigarettes on the market gives a massive advantage to tobacco companies. People that used vaping to quit smoking have now returned and even some that started vaping before smoking have picked up cigarettes to get their fix. Getting rid of a product does not change the demand for it.
Vape shops that were given no warning of the ban are now going out of business because of their inability to make rent without any profits. Profiting off of addictions is not necessarily admirable, but if consumers can still go to any gas station to get alcohol and cigarettes, excluding vapes is an unfair hit to those businesses.
All of this discussion is based on the undeniable fact that anyone who chooses to smoke or vape is voluntarily putting their health at risk. A years-long campaign to end cigarette smoking had finally showed promise for lowered use in future generations, and like most other technology, e-cigarettes have taken youth by storm in America.
The state would have been better banning flavored options or placing other restrictions on the industry than destroying it altogether. There is no reason vapes that can so easily endanger someone’s health should be available in enticing flavors, although the same argument could be made about cocktails.
Cigarettes were never banned, they almost faded from prominence through persistent public service announcements and campaigns against the extremely unhealthy habit. These programs in combination with stripping flavors from stores are the first steps to ridding society of the vapic epidemic.
Instead of crippling businesses and forcing people to use alternatives like cigarettes or less safe, less legitimate vapes, the state should work towards their goal of reduced vape usage through more effective awareness of the problem.
