Words are our points of reference, our common ground; words are the means to principle: We know, for instance, that a world without a word for “liberty” would not much be a world worth living in.
And so we take great offense to the work of state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, who has declared a war on words.
His Senate Bill 140, introduced this week, takes aim at the electronic cigarette industry by moving to reclassify e-cigs as “tobacco products.” This is an innovation from our current laws, which largely understand tobacco products to be “products prepared from tobacco” or “any product containing tobacco leaf.”
But this is sensible, and the senator is not. A “tobacco product” under the new law could include “an electronic device that delivers nicotine or other substances to the person inhaling from the device” – as well as the component parts or accessories of such products.
The practical effect of this legislation would be expansion of bans on traditional smoking to include electronic cigarettes and vapor products as well. The law also bears down on sale to minors and increases the fines and penalties associated with the illegal use of newly-defined “tobacco products.”
Mr. Leno’s abuse of language is unfortunate, and it is worsened by an overeager use of government to curtail the market share of a product enjoying commercial success. The effort also singles out nicotine, a chemical that has not been shown to cause harm in isolation and in reasonable doses.
The senator’s new law was joined Wednesday by a publication from the California Department of Public Health declaring electronic cigarettes a health risk.
The report announced intentions for an “educational campaign” on the dangers of these products, similar to the approach employed against actual cigarettes.
Such actions further the infantilization of our society. If a business chooses not to allow vaporizers, so be it; if a father wants his son not to use electronic cigarettes, let them have that conversation; if consumers believe the chemicals a company uses are poisonous, let them sue for damages and prove their case.
And if people just plain don’t like these products, let them publicly discourage their purchase and use.
This is how a self-governing people solves problems. Mr. Leno’s interference is both unwelcome and unnecessary.
