Washington, DC is experiencing a crime surge compared to pre-pandemic levels, and the city is still struggling with high unemployment after its crushing economic lockdowns. But, apparently, the municipal government thinks the real pressing problem is what flavor tobacco products people are choosing to smoke.
“D.C. is officially outlawing the sale of flavored tobacco products and menthol cigarettes across the city,” local media outlet WTOP reports. Mayor Muriel Bowser officially signed the ban into law on Thursday. In particular, the mayor cited the popularity of menthol-flavored cigarettes among black people as a pressing reason for the ban.
“We know that Black residents are disproportionately affected by tobacco use, and flavored tobacco, including menthol, continues to have a particularly insidious effect on our community,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said. “Today, we take a hugely impactful step to reducing tobacco initiation and addiction in Washington, D.C.”
I have signed into law the Flavored Tobacco Prohibition Amendment Act of 2021. pic.twitter.com/xx7c2maANN
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) July 21, 2021
There are so many problems with this latest expansion of the nanny state that it’s difficult to know where to begin.
For one, this ban is fundamentally condescending and insulting. The mayor is essentially telling DC residents, particularly black ones, that she thinks they are too stupid and too incompetent to evaluate the relative risks of a product and make decisions for themselves. In reality, people know their own costs and benefits far better than detached government bureaucrats. There are indeed health risks associated with the use of tobacco products. But adults in a free society ought to be allowed to weigh those risks for themselves—not have the nanny state step in.
Also, banning such popular products is sure to lead to a black market for them, which will most likely prove far more dangerous than the current legal products. It’s much more probable that people will get sick or even die from black-market tobacco products than from ones professionally manufactured and sold. For example, the great “vaping” panic of recent years was related to reports of mysterious lung illness and death. Yet in almost all cases, these deaths were ultimately attributed not to legal products but to black market THC vaping products, which only exist due to marijuana prohibition laws.
It’s quite likely that similarly dysfunctional black market dynamics could emerge in Washington, DC after the mayor’s misguided move.
Another factor at play here is how new nanny state laws inevitably lead to more over-policing. Progressive lawmakers like Muriel Bowser claim to oppose police brutality and the oppression of disadvantaged communities by overzealous law enforcement. However, sending police officers into black communities to crack down on their choice of product flavor is a perfect recipe for more police interactions gone wrong.
Apparently all of these flaws are of little concern to Bowser and her colleagues. The DC government is taking a victory lap for this supposed public health accomplishment. But the true brunt of Mayor Bowser’s latest nanny state restriction will be borne by those who can least afford it.
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Brad Polumbo
Brad Polumbo (@Brad_Polumbo) is a libertarian-conservative journalist and Policy Correspondent at the Foundation for Economic Education.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/). This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article.
American Patriots Uniting to Fight Tyranny from, Well, Everywhere
We’re building a new conservative news network. Based on responses from fellow patriots, we’re heading in the right direction.
It may be hard to believe based on what we’re seeing around the nation today, but there are many reasons to be hopeful. First and foremost, the false narrative that most of America hates traditional values or the foundations of our nation are finally being proven false. Despite the best efforts of globalists and Neo-Marxists, patriotic Americans are starting to unify in droves. Meanwhile, Joe Biden can barely muster a half-filled auditorium to deliver his message to the scant few watching CNN and the paid shills in the “crowd.”
The “silent majority” that drove Donald Trump to victory in 2016 and 2020 (yes, he won by a landslide but was robbed along with the American people) is finally starting to realize we cannot stay silent any longer. We used to win with our votes, but those are being stolen. We used to win with truth, but the radical left and their agents in mainstream media, Big Tech, and academia are building a post-truth society to drown out reality. Today, we are waking up to the realization that only through direct action and fearlessly spreading the truth can we overcome the nefarious forces working against us.
We are proud to be working our way up to the tip of the conservative media spear. Our network is growing. We’re establishing strong partnerships with like-minded news outlets and courageous journalists. Even as Big Tech suppresses us, the honest messages they’re trying to quash are finding their way to the eyes and ears of patriots across the nation. With the help of new content partners like The Epoch Times and The Liberty Daily, we’re starting to see a real impact.
Our network is currently comprised of nine sites:
- NOQ Report
- Conservative Playlist
- Truth. Based. Media.
- Freedom First Network
- Based Underground
- Uncanceled News
- American Conservative Movement
- Conservative Playbook
- Our Gold Guy
Some of our content is spread across all of these sites. Other pieces of content are unique. We write most of what we post but we also draw from those willing to allow us to share their quality articles, videos, and podcasts. We collect the best content from fellow conservative sites that give us permission to republish them. We’re not ego-driven; I’d much rather post a properly attributed story written by experts like Dr. Joseph Mercola or Natural News than rewrite it like so many outlets like to do. We’re not here to take credit. We’re here to spread the truth.
The slow and steady reopening of America is revealing there was a lot more economic hardship brought about from the Covd-19 lockdowns than most realize. While we continue to hope advertising dollars on the sites go up, it’s simply not enough to do things the right way. We are currently experiencing a gap between revenue and expenses that cannot be overcome by click-ads and MyPillow promos alone (promo code “NOQ” by the way).
To overcome our revenue gap and keep these sites running, our needs fluctuate between $2200-$7800 per month. May, 2021, for example, was amazing and we almost broke even. June, revenue was sluggish at best and we had to make up a big difference out of our pockets. But we’re not just trying to get out of the red. If and when we start getting enough contributions to expand, we will do just that. Very few get into journalism to try to get rich and we’re definitely not among those who do. Our success is driven by spreading the truth, profitable or not.
The best way you can help us grow and continue to bring proper news and opinions to the people is by donating. We appreciate everything, whether a dollar or $10,000. Anything brings us closer to a point of stability when we can hire writers, editors, and support staff to make the America First message louder. Our Giving Fuel page makes it easy to donate one-time or monthly. Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal or Bitcoin as well. Bitcoin: 3A1ELVhGgrwrypwTJhPwnaTVGmuqyQrMB8
Time is short. As the world spirals towards radical progressivism, the need for truthful journalism has never been greater. But in these times, we need as many conservative media voices as possible. Please help keep NOQ Report and the other sites in the network going. Our promise is this: We will never sell out America. If that means we’re going to struggle for a while or even indefinitely, so be it. Integrity first. Truth first. America first.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker