fbpx

Search for: prohibition

Une victoire pour les consommateurs après la défaite de l’interdiction du plastique de Trudeau

POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE | 17 novembre, 2023

OTTAWA, ON. – Ce jeudi, la Cour fédérale a rendu sa décision qui mettra fin au plan du gouvernement Trudeau d’interdire des articles en plastique à usage unique à la fin de 2023.

La Cour est concise sur le fait que le plan était à la fois excessif et manquait de mérite « le décret et l’inscription correspondante des articles manufacturés en plastique sur la liste des substances toxiques de l’annexe 1 sont à la fois déraisonnables et inconstitutionnels, » conclut-elle.

Yaël Ossowski, directeur adjoint de l’Agence pour le choix du consommateur, réagit :

« Les consommateurs devraient être ravis que ce plan de Trudeau touche à sa fin. L’interdiction du plastique n’était qu’une tentative musclée visant à priver les consommateurs et les entreprises d’un bien essentiel à la vie quotidienne.

« Comme nous l’avons décrit dans notre tribune dans Le Journal de Montréal en janvier 2021, ce plan a compliqué les efforts légitimes des entrepreneurs de créer des alternatives à la fois à l’innovation et au recyclage du plastique, » dit Ossowski.

« C’est grâce au génie québécois que nous puissions nous débarrasser de plastique de façon responsable, et non grâce à une prohibition du gouvernement fédéral. Au lieu de laisser les provinces gérer leurs approches et les innovateurs trouver des solutions efficaces, le gouvernement fédéral a choisi la voie paresseuse de l’interdiction pure et simple de certains produits. Cela nuit à tout le monde, et particulièrement à nous tous, consommateur.

« Nous applaudissons la décision de la Cour fédérale, »  conclut Ossowski.

Contact

Yaël Ossowski, directeur adjoint

L’Agence pour le choix du consommateur


L’Agence pour le choix du consommateur représente des consommateurs dans plus de 100 pays à travers le monde. Nous surveillons de près les tendances réglementaires à Ottawa, Washington, Bruxelles, Genève, Lima, Brasilia et dans d’autres points chauds de réglementation et informons et activons les consommateurs pour qu’ils se battent pour le #ChoixduConsommateur. Apprenez-en davantage sur consumerchoicecenter.org.

Beware of the fun police

Back in June, the French president celebrated the victory in the changing room of the winning team of the domestic league rugby final by downing a bottle of beer in one go. Seventeen seconds is what it took Emmanuel Macron to empty the bottle, as the players cheered him on.

The controversy it sparked wasn’t merely over whether this was a heartfelt moment or a publicity stunt, but instead over the fact that Macron consumed alcohol. “He trivialises situations that encourage drinking”, Bernard Basset from Association Addictions France told BFMTV after the fact.

The vilification of alcohol is taking on increasing dimensions, as is the vilification of all the things that are considered “sins” or “vices”. Gambling, sugary drinks, smoking or vaping, fatty foods; there’s a long list of pleasures people engage in and an even longer one of people who seek to ban them. The people who say that they are concerned about “public health” are increasingly looking like the Temperance movement in the 19th and 20th centuries. Temperance activists also believed that smoking, drinking, and gambling were bad, even though their argument was instead from the standpoint of public morality, not public health. Their fallacy, however, is the same: the assumption that prohibition is a moral good because it protects the individual from him or herself. Where the Temperance lobby sought to bring about prohibition through moral panics, the public health lobby does the same by misrepresenting the facts.

Take the example of vaping. For many decades now, governments around the world have recognised the ill-effects of smoking, and explored different ways to help people quit. Often, it has done so through invasive restrictive policy-making. Smoking has become significantly more expensive through taxation, and because of bans it has virtually disappeared in public indoor settings. Despite a significant decrease in smoking rates, regulators and legislators are trying to squash the holdouts, as 20% of adults in the European Union continue to smoke.

Alternative nicotine delivery devices – such as e-cigarettes or heat-not-burn devices – have not just been proven to be significantly safer than cigarettes but also to be effective smoking cessation tools. Tobacco users are quitting the habit in high numbers because of vaping, and yet there are activist elements that seek the government to treat vaping, the harm reduction tool, in the exact same way it does tobacco. That is not just because they are ignorant of science but because they’re not there to reduce harm but to eliminate every available vice. Much like the Temperance movement, or the people who hold on to the idea of keeping cannabis illegal, their unofficial tagline is Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No”.

This modern prohibitionism, or neo-prohibitionism, is prolific and influential. For all their talk about Big Tobacco, Big Alcohol, Big Gambling, it appears that those industries hold very little power compared to public health campaigners. The facts speak for themselves: year after year, accessing these simple enjoyments of life becomes more difficult. Countries either make them more expensive and less accessible, ban their advertising or restrict their sales times. Suppose European governments were, in fact, beholden to those big industries. In that case, we’d see a very different landscape – but instead of an episode of Mad Men, we’re looking at increasingly puritanical policy-making.

The UK government is now pondering a generation ban for tobacco, meaning everyone born after the 1st of January 2009 would not be legally allowed to acquire any tobacco products. In essence, that means that the UK is implementing prohibition – a policy that has failed and continues to fail consistently. Whether it’s alcohol prohibition in the United States in the 1920s or cigarette prohibition in Bhutan in 2020, banning these products outright boosts the black market. Illicit product and service providers of alcohol, cigarettes, gambling etc. don’t care for quality controls or age restrictions and fund other criminal operations with their sales.

The frustrating thing about the debate about prohibition is that its negative consequences are not remotely unknown. We know that alcohol prohibition created the mafia boss Al Capone. We know that perpetrators of international terrorism generate cash flow through illicit tobacco trade. Most importantly, we know that the war on drugs, such as cannabis, was counterproductive and imprisoned millions of non-violent offenders for countless years. Why would we try to follow a model that is objectively ill-advised when we could instead introduce the notion of responsible use, harm reduction, and individual responsibility?

The fun police, the neo-prohibitionists, the nanny staters, whatever we want to call them, have an agenda of making prohibition socially acceptable once again. Much like any police that oversteps its authority, we should stop them.

Originally published here

UK should not copy New Zealand’s nanny state policies

Fred Roeder, Managing Director of the Consumer Choice Center, strongly condemns the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recent proposal to introduce a generational ban on smoking, as reported by The Guardian.

The ban, coupled with a blanket prohibition on disposable vapes, is a regressive step that threatens to fuel the black market and infringe upon the rights of adult smokers to make their own informed choices.The UK has long been a champion of evidence-based policies, particularly in the realm of tobacco harm reduction.

However, the proposed generational ban on cigarettes, combined with the ban on disposable vapes, marks a departure from this pragmatic approach. By depriving adults of their right to choose how they consume nicotine, these measures risk driving millions of consumers towards unregulated and unsafe alternatives, undermining public health objectives in the process.

Mr. Roeder emphasizes that the UK’s smoking rates have steadily declined thanks to a comprehensive strategy that embraces harm reduction policies. By promoting alternatives such as e-cigarettes and other reduced-risk products, the UK has successfully encouraged smokers to transition away from traditional combustible cigarettes.

Read the full text here

UK should not copy New Zealand’s Nanny State Policies

London, October 3rd, 2023 — Fred Roeder, Managing Director of the Consumer Choice Center, strongly condemns the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recent proposal to introduce a generational ban on smoking, as reported by The Guardian. The ban, coupled with a blanket prohibition on disposable vapes, is a regressive step that threatens to fuel the black market and infringe upon the rights of adult smokers to make their own informed choices.

The UK has long been a champion of evidence-based policies, particularly in the realm of tobacco harm reduction. However, the proposed generational ban on cigarettes, combined with the ban on disposable vapes, marks a departure from this pragmatic approach. By depriving adults of their right to choose how they consume nicotine, these measures risk driving millions of consumers towards unregulated and unsafe alternatives, undermining public health objectives in the process.

Mr. Roeder emphasizes that the UK’s smoking rates have steadily declined thanks to a comprehensive strategy that embraces harm reduction policies. By promoting alternatives such as e-cigarettes and other reduced-risk products, the UK has successfully encouraged smokers to transition away from traditional combustible cigarettes. This approach has not only reduced the harm associated with smoking but has also respected adult consumers’ autonomy and personal responsibility.

The proposed generational ban on smoking and banning disposable vapes is not only a misguided policy but also a potential boon for the black market. Prohibition has historically shown that it drives the creation of illegal markets, leading to unregulated and dangerous products. This move risks undoing the progress made in reducing smoking rates and may even exacerbate the very issues it seeks to solve.

Mr. Roeder urges the UK government to reconsider its approach and instead focus on evidence-based policies that respect individual freedom and support harm reduction initiatives. The Consumer Choice Center calls on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the government to engage in meaningful dialogue with experts, stakeholders, and the public to develop policies that balance public health goals with individual liberties.

‘We raise our glass to you, Virginia’: Group applauds new approach to beer delivery

A Richmond-based consumer advocacy group is applauding Virginia for a new approach to beer regulation and delivery.

The recent budget passed by Virginia’s General Assembly allocates funding for the creation of a Virginia Beer Distribution Company, or VBDC. The VBDC will be a branch of the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and will set Virginia breweries free to self-distribute limited quantities of their products directly to retailers and restaurants.

“This is a huge win for consumers and beer lovers in Virginia,” said Yael Ossowski, the deputy director for the Consumer Choice Center. “The “three-tier system” is an archaic system for getting beer in front of consumers, a remnant of Prohibition that still holds back many of Virginia’s neighbors from having the best market for beer possible.”

Read the full text here

Consumer Choice Center Raises a Glass to Virginia’s New Chapter for Beer Distribution

RICHMOND, VA  — The Consumer Choice Center (CCC) enthusiastically welcomes a recent development in Virginia’s approach to beer regulation, marked by the recent signing of the state budget by Governor Glenn Youngkin. This budget allocates funding for the creation of the Virginia Beer Distribution Co. (VBDC), a branch of the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The VBDC will set Virginia breweries free to self-distribute limited quantities of their products directly to retailers and restaurants. 

Yael Ossowski, deputy director of the Consumer Choice Center weighed in on the news, saying, “This is a huge win for consumers and beer lovers in Virginia. The “three-tier system” is an archaic system for getting beer in front of consumers, a remnant of Prohibition that still holds back many of Virginia’s neighbors from having the best market for beer possible.” 

The VBDC will operate primarily online and simplify the process for retailers buying beer from registered breweries. Taxes and fees will be gathered during the transactions, adding to the state’s revenue. Breweries will take on the responsibility of delivering the beer sold through the VBDC. Industry insiders project that if even just 100 breweries opt to self-distribute 500 barrels of beer each year, the new structure will generate $6.9 million in tax and fee revenue for Virginia.

Yael Ossowski continued, “Some brewers will want to use the VBDC system to grow their footprint in Virginia, and others won’t. Distribution contracts make a lot of sense for some fantastic breweries, and less sense for others. This is about choice, and Virginia just expanded it for entrepreneurs and consumers alike. We applaud this move by the House of Delegates and Gov. Youngkin. ” 

“There is still much more to do to liberalize the state’s alcohol market, but for the moment, we raise our glass to you, Virginia,” he added.

Hold The Line on FDA Appropriations In Defense of Consumers

Dear House Appropriations Committee Members,

As an advocacy group engaged in work to protect and defend consumer choice, we urge you to keep in place Sections 768-769 of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. These sections refer to limiting the funding of several rules issued by the Food & Drug Administration to ban entire flavored categories of various tobacco and nicotine products without any reference to safer alternatives that save lives.

Over the past year, the FDA held exhaustive hearings and consultations on these provisions, which we did participate in and opposed at the time. Despite protests from consumers and civil society groups, they were implemented regardless.

By keeping these funding restrictions in the bill, you can support consumers making their own product choices, while preserving safer nicotine alternatives and avoiding the negative repercussions that would follow from product prohibition.

It is vitally important that the House Appropriations Committee pursue an actionable plan for incorporating harm reduction and reduced-risk nicotine alternatives in policy and at the FDA, rather than shortsighted bans that threaten to boost illicit markets.

If the agency  is serious about reducing smoking in our country, then the answer must center on harm reduction in all aspects, rather than ratcheting up bans and restrictions that will cause more harm.

Please keep these provisions in place and continue to stand tall in defense of consumer choice for your constituents. 

Sincerely Yours,

Yaël Ossowski

Deputy Director

Consumer Choice Center

(PDF version available here)

GOVERNMENT ARROGANCE DEFIES SCIENTIFIC FACTS

It may surprise those who need to become more familiar with how politics works in Hungary. Still, it is just business as usual for those familiar with the government’s stand on policy issues.

Whenever opposition members of parliament raise a sensible policy issue, the Hungarian government finds a way to either discredit the MP, shove the topic off the table, or completely disregard the issue. This was no different when László Lukács, the party group leader of Jobbik-Conservatives, asked the Minister of the Interior a question about revisiting the regulation regarding e-cigarettes. (It might be worth another article on what the Minister of the Interior has to do with health issues, but Hungary has not had a Health Ministry since Fidesz took over 13 years ago).

MP Lukács enquired about the possibility of changing the law since it has been in effect for seven years and new scientific evidence has come to light in many countries; people have experienced positive results due to more flexible legislatures and common sense.

But this is Hungary, where many policy issues meet with the arrogance of government officials who disregard facts and only focus on humiliating their colleagues in opposition.

The reply by the State Secretary was relatively straightforward. The Hungarian government considers vaping harmful and would not plan on changing the present legislation: no consideration, no openness to new studies, and no interest in looking at best practices.

The attitude of the State Secretary has shocked Michael Landl, the director of the World Vapers’ Alliance (the guest on our podcastsome months ago), who issued a press release about the official statement presented by the Hungarian government. According to Mr. Landl, “It is shocking that the Hungarian government still pedals worn-out and debunked myths about vaping. Rétvári systematically ignores scientific evidence proving the benefits of vaping, not to mention the first-hand experience of millions of vapers. Vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking and a more effective method to quit smoking than traditional therapies such as gum and nicotine patches. The Hungarian approach to vaping will do nothing but cost lives.” 

The director of the WVA also claims that the statement shows that Hungary ignores science and spreads misinformation about vaping. He says that “This is not a good sign for public health. Vaping is not the same as smoking and must be treated differently. Equating a 95% less harmful alternative with smoking will prevent thousands of smokers from quitting.”

It is worth noting that the Hungarian government disregards Swedish and British examples showing the success of using vaping as a harm reduction tool to give up smoking.  These two countries are experiencing record-low smoking rates and illnesses attributed to smoking, and they provide the world with good examples of switching from smoking to vaping. This, however, falls on deaf ears in the prohibitionist Hungarian government, which would probably also defend witchcraft if its interests required it.

Originally published here

Scroll to top
en_USEN