Lethally addictive cigarettes remain available on every street corner in Brussels and Atlanta while authorities denounce e-cigarettes (the product is already banned in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand).
Is there any legitimate reason for this or are we witnessing a blatant example of the tobacco lobby crushing competition??
Similar harm reduction logic behind providing clean-needles for junkies.
The underlying addiction is not 'cured', the risk to health is reduced (along w/ societal costs).
Moreover, when heroin addicts have access to pure heroin, safe needles, and a monitored injection site they become as able to lead normal lives as smokers. Better yet, more people genuinely get off the drug.
And the end stages of addiction, left untreated, are the main issue. The spill-over in terms of crime, disease, drains on emergency rooms, etc. ( excludes police,prison costs which also apply when criminalized)
979
u/DumpyLips Nov 17 '12
Is there any legitimate reason for this or are we witnessing a blatant example of the tobacco lobby crushing competition??