Looking for the skinny

Sounds like the same stuff that's been floating around for a while. No idea if it's any nearer happening than before.

If they run out of other stuff to ban and restrict they’ll prolly get back on it.

It was removed from the bill. but that doesnt mean they wont try agian.

I meant the tax hike that was included in the build back better bill. I dont know about the fda deeming and what constitutes "a tobacco product"

The sheer hypocrisy of these policies, since the very beginning, in the 80s, is mind boggling. Alcohol and marijuana are responsible not only for major health care related problems, but they cost society and employers billions of dollars every year (absenteism, rehabs, etc.).
Yet, they keep targeting tobacco. And we let them do so.

I'll take issue with the comment on marijuana. Legalization of marijuana has given relief to hundreds of thousands who suffer from severe chronic pain. It has proven to be more physically tolerable than than the horrible and addictive pain killers which one would otherwise have to turn to. 

Legalization of marijuana may very well provide a benefit, but Claude still has a point. Since the laws have been relaxed in some places, legalized in others, it like alcohol is often abused heavily…smoking marijuana is less taboo to kids that while it is still illegal for them to use, has gained wider acceptance. The politicians/ unelected bureaucrats rant that flavored cigarettes are marketed to kids, say nothing about how edible marijuana can be made into Skittles and M&M’s…I think the point he was making is that by comparison, pipes and cigars should not even be on the radar. Slimy assed politicians do not give a damn about public health, they are just going after the low hanging fruit.
They refuse to go after alcohol because I am convinced that most if not all of the politicians/ bureaucrats are regular users of this drug of choice.

My concern, which I did not state and should have, is related to the addictive aspect and all its social/matrimonial, work and health care problems it creates. The other problem with marijuana is that more and more studies are finding out that daily users of marijuana (the one containing the THC) are at serious and much higher risks of developing Schizophrenia. Also, users that smoke it are not less at risk of developing lung and cardiovascular diseases than tobacco smokers.
However, you're making a good point to underline its benefits because they are a fact. 

It's all in the lobbying power, baby. I read that article that you provided a link to about the chap that wrote that book on the anti- tobacco lobbying and he did argue that the tobacco producers screwed themselves bad when they dropped the, is it, the Tobacco Institution or something? The fall of the line of defence allowed the anti-tobacco groups to claim anything and it became 'science' and 'fact'. Yet, I read a independant study on the relationship between exposure to second hand smoke and lung cancer among non smoking spouses of smokers. The study group was over 10,000 people that were followed over a decade, if not two (not quite sure, but it was a very long time). The study's results argued that there was no strong evidence to affirm that exposure to second hand smoke led to lung cancer. Of course, as it went against the crazed narrative,the study was ignored.
By the way, I bought the book.
Distilleries and brewers are strongly organized and that is the main reason why there are no warning labels to the extent of those associated with tobacco.
I watched a british documentary about the several ravages caused by alcohol. Hepatologists in the UK have been asking governments for decades to put warning labels similar to tobacco on alcohol bottles, but to no avail. The reason why it has not happened was explained by how strong and influencing the distelleries lobbying was. In fact, the European Distillery lobby office is located less than 200 meters from the European parliament. So that gives an idea of how strongly they protect their interests, because that office must be costing beyond a fortune. 

We tried to outlaw alcohol from 1920 to 1933. The people had a different idea.

Indeed. But was it people, or Al Capone? 

Let's just say that Al Capone has no lack of customers that were willing to pay for the product. Also, alcohol has been intrinsic to the human experience for as long as there has been civilization.

Yes, and suffering from a gout flare. 

It's been attributed to many people, mostly Socretes. But it really doesn't matter. It rings true to me.