Free Speech Up in Smoke Extended Commentary (B3N Roundtable)

Lets just get this straight there is more to smoking laws than free speech. Freedom in general are at risk by the government’s curtailing of cigarette products. There is a lot of wrong in smoking laws. Sin taxes are invasions on freedom and the government attempting to enforce their morals – or the morals of the majority – on the minority of smokers because it is seen as a bad habit. Smoking bans in restraints and other places which give public access to private property also is destroying individual property rights. However the topic of this video is this recent (or was at the time of the video) smoking bill passed and signed by President Obama. The video is about a lawsuit by some tobacco companies against the law’s restriction on advertising. Since it was a short video there is no way I could fully elaborate on my points so I put the video above and below I’ll show you what I would have said if this debate could have been extended further.

“For the first time the Food and Drug Administration will be able to regulate tobacco products”

- Christopher Dodd (D-CT)

And a lot more too. The FDA will have full control over the regulation of the advertising, marketing, and manufacturing of tobacco products. I hope I can start buying stock in the FDA because they might as well just own the tobacco companies at this point. The law will mandate bigger graphic warnings on the package. Most cigarette flavorings – with the exception of menthol – will be banned because it might get kids hooked. The FDA gets to regulate the amount of nicotine content in a cigarette. New laws will further limit tobacco ads. Which reminds me, when is the last time you saw a tobacco ad on TV or anywhere outside of a gas station for that matter? The law states that it prohibits colorful ads that would attract kids to tobacco products. I guess now just like the pop culture the government now thinks that all kids have ADD and that parents can’t…well…be parents. Seriously I could have a bright colorful ad for a band, and I mean a classical music not a rock band etc., and I’m fairly safe to say it doesn’t mean I’m marketing to kids. Though I will say that there is two things I don’t mind them going after. The ingredients label and the “low tar” and “light” cigarette labels. Still to think that people think this regulation doesn’t go far enough. Some wanted the FDA to remove nicotine all together. News Flash: Removing the nicotine would only make people move to ecigs. Lets face it people don’t smoke for the hell of it. The smoke for the drug in the tobacco, nicotine. Get rid of the drug and ya they would stop smoking but they are still addicted to the drug. Congratulations but you didn’t really solve the problem.

What is even sadder is that Phillip Morris was behind and help write this bill. Yes, that’s right, the same company that gives services to customers that this bill blatantly attacks helped write this bill. Then it dawned on me. That is what a big tobacco company wants. This bill, while hurting them, preserves them on top of the tobacco industry and kills of competition. How you might ask? Quite simple companies have to bare the burden of paying for the FDA regulation. That’s right so not only are you going to be paying for those big sin taxes your going to get an even more sinisterly hidden tax to pay for all of this. Not to mention all the new laws that require removal of some of the nicotine, the ad restrictions, and many more restrictions and you have created a law that not only falls short of its goal but creates a monopolizing cartel of elite tobacco companies. Way to go big government.

On top of all of that I don’t even trust the FDA to do this in a fair and just way anyway. If you have seen the smear campaign the FDA has been launching against e-cigarettes then you’ll know what I mean. This is all white wash. Either the FDA will be understaffed and the regulations will be unfairly enforced to keep the tobacco cartel in power or the FDA will just sit on its ass like it normally does. Either way Joe American is going to be paying for it in more ways than one. I understand Jennie’s concern but when are people going to take responsibility for their kids. Bottom line when people become adults they should have the right to put whatever they want into their own body and the government needs to just back off.