Sun, 30 Oct 2005

The Mystery of Philip Morris' Nicotine Inhaler

There's more than enough hypocrisy to go around here:

Cloaked in secrecy, the device was invented nearly a dozen years ago at a time the tobacco industry was vigorously denying that nicotine was addictive, internal company documents show.

They (the big tobacco companies) knew that nicotine was addictive ("our business is fundamentally that of supplying nicotine"), yet kept on denying the obvious in press release after press release. But it get's better:

Nicotine is a mild stimulant that helps some people to focus and relax when under stress. Although a crucial part of a deadly product, nicotine by itself is not very bad for most people, experts say.

A lot of the "tobacco activists" are less interested in public health than they are in simply keeping people from enjoying nicotine:

A nicotine inhaler probably would draw a mixed response, similar to the debate over offering clean needles to heroin users. Though some health professionals might object to any product that sustains nicotine dependence, many others say "clean" nicotine could be a powerful weapon in the fight against tobacco-related diseases.

And that's the clincher, for me: it exposes the anti-smoking activity of many crusaders for exactly what it is: another front in the War on Drugs. I don't think anyone could seriously claim that folks using one of these devices after a meal in public place would be exposing others to "second-hand nicotine", but just wait: shortly you'll start seeing studies linking nicotine use to real crime - robberies, murders, etc. After all, most criminals smoke, so the link is "obvious".

If you ever wondered how marijuana went from a harmless and useful plant in 1900 to a dangerous rape-inducing narcotic by 1935, just keep you eyes open: you're about to see the encore production, with the target this time being tobacco.

Los Angeles Times - Cigarette maker Philip Morris has developed an inhaler that could deliver a nicotine mist deep into the lungs, giving smokers a satisfying dose of the addictive drug without the carcinogens, gases and toxic metals that make tobacco smoke so dangerous.

(link) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

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