San Francisco Bans Vaping and Other Bad Ideas
USA Today published an opinion piece that we’re certainly on board with. They called it “San Francisco, banning e-cigarettes is your worst solution to your least-pressing problem.”
Bigger Problems San Francisco Has Than Vaping
Is vaping the biggest problem in San Francisco? Consider some problems that San Francisco faces that appear far more pressing than e-cigarettes:
- Visible homeless camps, complete with stolen bikes, tents, and garbage are everywhere. Public, illicit drug use is unlikely to face an official crackdown.
- At estimated two million used syringes either littered the city streets or washed into the bay and out to sea.
- Oh, but hey, you have to use non-disposable straws. We applaud any reduction in plastic use, but what about the syringes?
- Speaking of the homeless problem, affordable housing is one factor; however, so is drug addiction and mental health.
Meanwhile, city officials are mostly concerned with protecting youth from e-cigarettes. This is a laudable goal. Teen vaping has been increasing, but at least, teen smoking numbers are going down. We agree that teens face health risks from vaping.
Are the city leaders also concerned with protecting use from cigarettes and illegal drugs? No, instead, they attack one of the solutions to cigarette smoking because, I guess, San Francisco’s other problems are just too big.
So, what’s helping adults quit smoking? Vaping is, that’s who.
- First, vaping is estimated to be 95 percent safer than smoking.
- Second, the CDC says vaping as the potential to benefit non-pregnant, adult smokers by helping them stop smoking.
Juul Strikes Back Against San Francisco Vaping Ban
Anyway, vaping giant Juul is preparing to strike back. They’ve already got the signatures they need to put legislation on the ballot that would help curb teen access to vaping and preserve adult access. A Juul spokesperson also mentioned that cigarettes kill 40,000 adults in California each year.
What do you think about San Francisco’s ban on vaping? Will it do more to protect teens or hurt adults who are trying to find a substitute for smoking? Let us know in the comments.
