by Matt Agorist, The Free Thought Project:

In case you’ve been under a rock lately, you’ve likely seen that the US government and mainstream media alike have taken a hard-nosed stance on flavored e-cigarettes or vaping. Last week, the Trump administration announced a sweeping ban of flavored e-cigarettes under the ostensible caring notion of stopping children from vaping. Childhood smoking is certainly a concern, but the idea of a government ban on flavored cigarettes is outright laughable considering the things this government has already approved for children to put in their bodies. What’s more, banning these e-cigarettes will be a huge boon to the regular cigarette industry which kills hundreds of thousands every year.

“A lot of ex-smokers will go back to smoking,” said Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor and tobacco control expert at Boston University.

“They’re addicted to nicotine. If their products are taken off the shelf, most won’t be able to quit cold turkey. There will be no way for them to get their products, so they’ll go back to smoking,” he added.

According to reports, six deaths have been attributed to vaping. Six deaths. And the direct attribution to vaping is still unclear. Meanwhile, 1,500 people die every single day in America from cigarette smoking related illness and this is just fine and dandy.

The idea that the government cares about the citizens when it moves to ban things is as insulting as it is asinine. As TFTP has shown on multiple occasions, banning does nothing to curb demand. It only makes the product come out on the black market—often times more dangerous and sold in shady markets which causes an increase in crime.

What’s more, a ban does nothing to figure out the problem. If this were lettuce or beef, there would be an investigation to find the source of the tainted product, but because it is an e-cig the utterly ignorant and brash reactionary state simply says “BAN IT!”

The bottom line is that these people are doing this for public approval points and they do not care about you. All of these crocodile tears shed by politicians are fake and are little more than campaign strategies meant to make it look like these elite fat cats in marble buildings who send off our children to die in wars for profit, somehow care about your child vaping.

One need only look at the long list of government-approved “medications” for children to realize this government has no interest in protecting you. As we reported in 2015, the FDA approved the use of oxycontin — yes, the drug behind the epidemic which is killing tens of thousands annually — for use in children. But that’s not all. If we look closer into the government’s ostensible concern with flavored tobacco attracting children, we can see how big of a scam it is when we look at the drug Adzenys XR-ODT.

For those who are unaware, Adzenys XR-ODT is a drug similar to Adderall and Ritalin. But what sets Adzenys XR-ODT apart is its similarity to flavored vapes as it literally comes in fruity candy flavor—and is chewable. This candied amphetamine has been approved in the United States since 2016. If the government was so concerned with children vaping because of the candy flavors, why are they silent on candy flavored amphetamines?

Presenting amphetamines in a tasty, convenient package is “a recipe for people to request it and then sell it,” said Dr. Mukund Gnanadesikan, a child and adolescent psychiatrist in Napa, Calif.

“I’m not a big fan of controlled substances that come in forms that can be easily abused — and certainly a chewable drug falls into that category,” Gnanadesikan said.

What’s more is the fact that these ADHD drugs are almost identical to meth.

Anyone who’s ever been given one of their friend’s Adderall knows the powerful effects brought on by this tiny unintimidating pink pill. Increased energy, enhanced ability to focus and concentrate, and a euphoric sense of being are the most common effects of this drug.

Coincidentally, increased energy, enhanced ability to focus and concentrate, and a euphoric sense of being — are also the most common effects of crystal meth.

So, why are these effects so similar? Because the drugs are nearly identical in their chemical structure.

Dr. Carl Hart is a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Columbia University. Hart is known for his research into drug abuse and drug addiction. Hart was also the first tenured African American professor of sciences at Columbia University. He received a bachelor of science and a master of science from the University of Maryland and he received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Wyoming. By all accounts, he is the expert in the field of drug use.

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