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After Mexico bans vapes, cartels tighten their grip on a booming market (apnews.com)

submitted 1 day ago by Kastael@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

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[–] bufalo1973@piefed.social 5 points 3 hours ago

I think a better approach is to ban it for underage.

[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 6 points 4 hours ago

Prohibition just gives power to the smugglers and the enforcers. Imagine if all consumer drugs and related shit was just legalized across the hemisphere. No more chartels, drug war, drug running, drug police. Just taxes, public health interventions and regulatory enforcement. Canada took the first step with cannabis and guess what, society hasn't collapsed.

[–] TheRealKuni@piefed.social 43 points 23 hours ago (3 children)

Why in the fuck would you ban vaping? I mean unless cigarettes are ALSO banned.

[–] Jako302@feddit.org 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Because its arguably worse than smoking cigarettes overall.

The health effects aren't researched enough for a proper comparison between the two, but at least short term studies, while being inconclusive, show that vaping is just as damaging as smoking. The glycerine based liquid can damage your lungs more than smoking would. And while cigarettes have a lot more different carcinogens, what matters more is the amount.

In addition to that, vapes taste a lot better than cigarettes, which removes the first hurdle that smoking usually has. And this isn't only relevant when talking about children, its the exact same thing for adults. Most smokers I know startet smoking more when they switched to vapes.

Then there is the whole issue with one time vapes and batteries in landfills

[–] TheRealKuni@piefed.social 2 points 25 minutes ago* (last edited 20 minutes ago)

but at least short term studies, while being inconclusive, show that vaping is just as damaging as smoking

Citation needed. Every study I’ve seen, with the exception of the ones where they were burning wicks, has shown the opposite. Vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol are far less damaging than burnt plant matter.

Most smokers I know startet smoking more when they switched to vapes.

Anecdotal, and I can counter with my own. When I vaped, the vast majority of people I knew who did were former smokers. I don’t know that I’ve ever met someone who went the other direction. I could see that happening among younger people, but switching from vaping to smoking is one of the most braindead things a person could do.

Then there is the whole issue with one time vapes and batteries in landfills

So ban single-use vapes, or come up with a core-charge recycling scheme like we do with lead-acid batteries. Lithium batteries are recyclable.

[–] lofuw@sh.itjust.works 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

"I don't like it and neither should anyone else."

[–] Calfpupa@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 hours ago

There's lead in virtually all of them.

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 8 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

It’s more appealing to kids is the reasoning.

[–] SupraMario@lemmy.world 6 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

"think of the children"....cause that's never been the dumbest fucking reason to do something...

[+] super_user_do@feddit.it -7 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (2 children)

No, the point is that they are made specifically to make children addicted. It's not the "think of the children" hoax like for ex. videogames because (most of) them are not made to be addictive or to appeal specifically to children, actually that's the exact opposite most of the times. In other hand, vapes are specifically built and engineerd to be addictive to children even without using nicotine or psychoactive substances. Just like it should be illegal to put high amounts of sugar of corn syrup in sweets

[–] 3abas@lemmy.world 8 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

They are not made specifically to make chicken addicted. Some companies did, but vaping itself wasn't made to get children addicted... It is addictive, and not as smelly, and doesn't make you cough your tar covered lungs out, so kids who can get their hands on them get addicted.

Kids will still get them, but now they'll have more questionable ingredients, they'll be more expensive, and they'll be funding organized crime. Good job government.

Teach your kids about the importance of saying no, and let them make their own mistakes every now and then. Vaping is hardly the worst thing they can get hooked on.

[–] Paragone@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

From what I've read, there are 2 chemical-kinds of nicotene, 1 of which is called "freebase" nicotene, which hits quicker, & therefore is more addictive.

Yes, cigarette-tobacco has been bred ( if not engineered ) to increase the freebase nicotene ( can't remember which company it was that got caught on that, their actions demonstrating that it's a drug they were optimizing-for ),

& vape-companies intentionally engineer their products to be as addictive as they can be.

Children don't have fully-myelated-brains ( until about 21, which is why outlawing drinking until 21 so drastically reduces slaughter of lives on the roads ), & holding that they just have to "be more adult" when their brains literally can't be, is either denial or machiavellianism ( depends on the person's motivation ), AND victim-blaming, in my view.

What Mexico's doing, effectively, is GIVING a chunk of their economy to the drug-cartels.

Which is idiocy.

Decriminalize everything, tax it to death, do whatever, but we need to be gutting, not increasing, organized-crime's economy.

Nicotene kills the nervous-system of the gut, & it's likely doing the same kind of damage to the rest of the nervous-system ( Dr. Gershon's incorrectly-named book "The Second Brain", about the nervous-system of the gut, which is the original brain! )

_ /\ _

[–] blackris@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 7 hours ago

Freebase was the standard in Vapes for many years. Vaping liquids with freebase nicotine will keep your nic level up for the day. There is not a kick involved. This is different with nic salts. They behave like the nicotine in cigarettes.

Also current vapes have a much higher percentage of nicotine. When I vaped (comming from smoking), I mixed my liquids with 6 mg/ml. I think the standard today is 20 mg/ml. That is the reason, kids like them. Not the taste. You have much smaller clouds, than in the previous generations, but the high doses of nic salt give you a real nice kick.

[–] SupraMario@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago

Lol Roblox???? And every damn gatcha game out there.

Think of the children bullshit line...vices exist, and adults make adult choices... because they're adults. Prohibition has never caused black markets ever...

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 0 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

It’s the reason they banned sugar, and that’s turned out pretty well hasn’t it?

[–] super_user_do@feddit.it -2 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

What? Sugar is banned? In which country?

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Mexico… Mexico has banned sugar in schools and also high fructose corn syrup from being used in anything.

You know you could just google this…. Yeah….? Also context made this pretty damn obvious as well.

[–] lofuw@sh.itjust.works -2 points 12 hours ago

I don't know, but Mexico has a town where they drink more Coke than water.

[–] TheRealKuni@piefed.social 14 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

So is all kinds of shit. Doesn’t mean it isn’t safer for adults than smoking.

[–] Captainautism@lemmy.dbzer0.com 28 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

When are the old conservative governments going to learn the lesson here?! Anytime you prohibit something it only gives all of the power to the streets? So dumb.

[–] lofuw@sh.itjust.works 3 points 12 hours ago

I think they know, they just don't care at this point.

The world is run by and for morons.

[–] gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Oh man, another delivery from Cyberpunk Dystopia Cliche of the Month Club?! We have got to cancel that membership.