“E-cigarettes more popular than tobacco among teens, survey finds” That’s the headline to a Bismarck Tribune article by Amy Sisk. And given the tone of the article, I guess we’re supposed to be alarmed that so many more kids are using e-cigarettes. Certainly that’s what North Dakota’s anti-tobacco gestapo took away. The Center for Tobacco Prevention…
Should North Dakota Taxpayers Be Footing The Bill For Anti-Vaping Activism?
Here’s a principle that is a cornerstone of my thinking about governance: It should be neutral. What I mean by that is public policy should be applied dispassionately. How we feel about the law, our philosophies and emotions and preferences, belong in the political process. They should be expressed in campaigns and at the ballot…
North Dakota's Pre-Filed Bills: Mandatory Sentencing Exemptions And Driverless Cars!
The 2015 session of North Dakota’s Legislature is looming. It begins next month on January 6th, and already bills and resolutions are being pre-filed for consideration. I read through what’s been posted online so far – 110 bills and 7 resolutions in the House, 102 bills and 6 resolutions in the Senate – and picked…
Does North Dakota Really Need To Ban E-Cigarettes For Minors?
Vaping, or the use as e-cigarettes (as they’re known to the chagrin of proponents who note they’re nothing like actual cigarettes), has burst into fashionable use in North Dakota and across the nation. This has happened so quickly that the law really hasn’t kept up with the trend. North Dakotans voted for a statewide ban…
The War On E-Cigarettes May Be Bad For Your Health
In North Dakota voters passed a statewide smoking ban that, unbeknownst to a lot of those voters I believe, included a ban on e-cigarettes. Now the City of Moorhead in Minnesota is considering treating e-cigarettes like regular cigarettes. Why is this happening? E-cigarettes are not, after all, like regular cigarettes. There is nothing getting burned.…