But there's a difference between then and now.
Then, they had no legal basis for their actions, therefore they ceased their shenanigans.
Now?
- Now we have federal regulations set in place, mandated to be enforced by the courts due to a lawsuit brought against the FDA.
- Since Feb 2020, The House Oversight Committee has urged the FDA to mandate a total (but supposedly temporary - but we know how that goes), nationwide ban on the sale of all vape products, citing concerns that nicotine usage increases the chance of death in those who contract COVID-19 (yet they did not urge the FDA to ban the sale of all other nicotine products, nor did they provide any solid, scientific proof of their claims).
- Paypal is suspending vape retailers in China, many of which have yet to replace Paypal with another form of payment, leaving US customers no option to pay for orders.
- Since about Sept or Oct 2019, AliExpress, DHGate and Alibaba have blocked most vape listings from USA IP addresses. Some slip by their systems but all in all they have effective killed the sale of vape gear to USA on these sites.
- Some states are proving to be more harsh than the feds with
ejuice bans
total vape bans
excessive taxes
I have to agree. Listen folks, as long as anybody believes this has anything whatsoever to do with public health or saving children, they will have us right where they want us.
The greater the case that vaping is an inexpensive, uniquely effective net gain in public health through the cessation of tobacco use, while avoiding the need for prescriptions or state intervention, the more relentlessly they will seek to kill it. At least in anything like the libertarian form we've known.
It is a direct, near military threat to billions and billions and billions of dollars for the bureaucrats and their friends. Until a greater motivation than that presents itself, (don't hold your breath), they will be hell bent on protecting that money.
There are indeed some brain dead, nanny state, mommy groups who actually think they're saving children. They're pawns too. The proverbial "useful idiots."
It won't do any good to debate it, just watch. These people are as predictable as the day is long. Water will sooner flow uphill than the U.S. political machine do what's right rather than what's politically expedient to the tune of vast sums of money and the power that comes with it. And of course with that power then comes more money and on and on it goes.
Power, the institutionalized ability to manipulate and control a population, a culture and society, is the fiercest and most all consuming addiction there has ever been or will ever be. If history has taught us anything, it's that.
