Wednesday, 10 January 2024

Another Simon Chapman zinger

Following Becky Freeman's gob-smackingly stupid comments about e-cigarette prohibition in Australia, her old mentor Simon Chapman has since outdone her.
 

Professor Simon Chapman of Public Health at the University of Sydney said vapes needed to be strictly regulated, and objected to calling the reforms a ‘ban’.

‘Vapes are not being banned but strictly regulated like they always should have been. Anyone who says they are banned probably also believes that every prescribed drug in Australia is by the same argument also banned,’ Professor Chapman told media. 

Prohibition can’t fail if there’s no prohibition! Checkmate libertarians!

Needless to say, alcohol was available on prescription during Prohibition in the USA and yet no one was in any doubt that alcohol was, er, prohibited. Laughing gas was banned in the UK last year, but is still available for medical use. Opiates are banned but can be obtained on prescription. So, yes, it is reasonable to describe any substance that it only available under medical supervision as being ‘banned’.

 
Read more on my Substack.


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