Gambling is bad... mmmkay?

Been a while hasn't it? I'm sure at least 5 of you noticed.

Lets talk about California shall we?

California.
Sunshine.
Movie Stars.
Babes in bikinis.
Dirty Old Meathea.... err men wearing dark sunglasses.

California Department of Public Health.
Senator Barbara Boxer.

Huh?

Well the California Department of Public Health has determined that Electronic Cigarettes are a public health threat http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR15-12.aspx and http://cdph.ca.gov/programs/tobacco/Documents/Media/State%20Health-e-cig%20report.pdf It seems that the Department head, Dr. Ron Chapman would like all Californians to avoid using vaporizers.

(I'm going to tear that report apart in a follow up blog. I try to limit my blog length to one tank of juice and that one is going to require a massive tank.)

All Californians means smoking Californians. Apparently Mr. Chapman has such insight into the risks of vaping that he would prefer smokers to keep smoking (It should be noted that Mr. Chapman has announced his resignation, assumedly based on a bit of a kerfuffle over seniors and care homes complaints not being dealt with in an appropriate manner.).

There were the usual claims of all the things they"Know" followed by all the fears of the things they "Don't Know"; I kept looking for the line about "The Known Unknowns, and not knowing what we don't know" etc.

What could possibly be so immediately dangerous to life and health that a Public Health Department would ask a smoker to keep smoking?

Money. Lots and lots of money.

Once upon a time, tobacco companies were being sued, a lot. By regular people, by organizations, by local and state governments; So some of them settled, and US State Treasuries came to fall in love with The Master Settlement Agreement (MSA).

The MSA in the most simple definition is as follows. Tobacco companies involved can not be sued by the state. Ever. Those companies will truck bales of cash based on market share to States involved in perpetuity.

Forever. Until the world ends. Or until the Tobacco Company goes broke. Or the smokers all die out.

Or until they start to vape.

You see, some of those state governments weren't happy to just receive their annual payments until hell froze over, they wanted even bigger buckets of cash and they wanted it now. Knowing that "Haters gonna hate" and "Smokers gonna smoke till they die"; those governments started selling bonds based on future MSA payments. Purchasers knowing that "Smokers gonna smoke" thought that was a nifty idea and gobbled them up like ecstasy at a midnight rave and everybody got all touchy feely and felt the love... dude.

Gambling is bad... mmmkay?

Enter vaping. Smokers surprisingly enough thought it was a nifty way to not get cancer or emphysema and die. All the sudden there is a real threat that tobacco market share is going to drop. This means the money is going to go *poof*.

The money that the government needs to pay off those bonds they issued. You know, the ones that are maturing.

"Damn. Didn't see that coming"

"Uh, just how are we going to pay for this?"

Gambling is bad... mmmkay?

Now we start to understand why vaping is bad. How a phone call becomes a poisoning. How when you feel better when you switch to vaping, it's all in your head. Why there is just no proof that vaping leads to quitting.

Above all we see why the California Department of Public Health would advise that smokers not vape. Ever.

And we see why a Senator would jump on that bandwagon.

Join in the "fun" as I read on twitter.

Fun.

Lying to the public. Fun.
Convincing smokers NOT to try a less harmful alternative. Fun.
Scare the shit out of a populace based on cherry picked terminology, selective cognisance, and slight of hand.

Fun.

Dear California Department of Public Health, Dr. Ron Chapman, Senator Boxer et al;

You disgust me you greedy, lying sacks of waste. You placed your bets. You lost. Stop killing smokers.

Love and Kisses,

MadMeathead