re: #2 bratwurst

The rate of smoking has been halved since 1965. Public indoor smoking bans became nearly ubiquitous in just one decade. The are both huge health triumphs in my book. I think you are being highly disingenuous to suggest otherwise.

The thrust of my comment related to Milov’s proposals about e-cigarettes.

I quit smoking a long time ago. Regulation played no role in my decision. Information about the long-term effects did. I’m far from alone in that. I would not resume smoking cigarettes if regulations were repealed and the price dropped precipitously. I suspect I’m far from alone in that too.

Iirc: Back in the day there was a lot of corruption in the relationship between politicians and tobacco companies. Then the politicians were shocked, shocked to learn that the companies had known tobacco was addictive. Then there was a lot of corruption in the settlement between the politicians and the tobacco companies. And, to repeat, a lot of the penalty, via taxes, falls on people little able to pay it. Some triumph.

Here is a different perspective:

The force working against the introduction of e-cigs is big pharma. Now, this will come as no surprise to some: big pharma profits from treating disease, including diseases stemming from smoking; if there is less disease to treat, then their profits will fall, which is bad news for shareholders.

In addition, big pharma is highly active in the nicotine-replacement therapy, or NRT, market. NRT includes such items as nicotine gum, lozenges, and patches, and GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK ) is the leading marketer of these products within the United States. Obviously, if smokers who are in the process of quitting turn to e-cigs rather than NRT, Glaxo will lose revenue.

Unfortunately, it would also seem as if Glaxo has support from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; in particular, Mitch Zeller, a former anti-tobacco lobbyist who was appointed head of the FDA’s center for tobacco products earlier this year. Now, Zeller should not be taking sides in this argument, but according to an article published in The Wall Street Journal back in 2009, Zeller disclosed that he “…provides consulting support to GlaxoSmithKline consumer health through Pinney Associates on an exclusive basis on issues related to tobacco dependence treatment.”