Getting the vapors

Back in the 19th Century, the term "getting the vapors" meant becoming emotionally overcome by something. Not surprisingly, the legislature is getting the vapors:

The growing popularity of electronic cigarettes could be curbed by state regulations that would treat them the same as tobacco cigarettes, under a proposal headed for a vote by the Senate.

A sweeping set of restrictions would prohibit what users call “vaping” indoors and in public spaces and would ban the sale of e-cigarettes and smokeless devices to those under age 18. Backers of the restrictions, which passed a final Senate committee on Monday, say the concerns over secondhand vapors from the devices are enough to include them in Minnesota’s statewide indoor smoking ban.

Anything that must be growing in popularity has to be regulated of course, and the point man on the effort is a guy who is more often known for gun-grabbing:

“If you work in a hotel, restaurant, bar or VFW, I’m not sure you want to be forced to choose between keeping your job and being exposed to some unknown array of chemicals being released into the atmosphere,” said Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park.

Latz needs to control your life, because, as Mitch Berg reminds us, Latz went to Harvard and most likely you didn't, so Latz's judgment on such matters is probative.

Meanwhile, we're now told that people are apparently cracking open the e-cigs and drinking the liquid nicotine or something, which apparently could cause the demise of toddlers. As always, Jacob Sullum at Reason puts the danger in perspective:

This dangerous new drug, [New York Times reporter Matt Richtel] explains, is the nicotine contained in e-cigarette fluid, which already has killed...well, so far just one guy who committed suicide by injecting the stuff. But "reports of accidental poisonings, notably among children, are soaring." They increased "300 percent" from 2012 to 2013!

Another way of putting that: The number of accidental poisoning reports related to e-cigarette fluid increased from about 338 in 2012 to 1,351 in 2013. None of these poisonings was fatal, and most (73 percent) were not serious enough to require hospital treatment. In 2012, by comparison, 311,347 poisoning reports involved analgesics, 221,314 involved cosmetics, 193,802 involved cleaning substances, 96,997 involved anthistamines, 88,694 involved pesticides, 68,168 involved vitamins, and 49,374 involved plants. So if "e-liquids pose a significant risk to public health," as Richtel says, the risk posed by common products such as aspirin, window cleaner, and bug spray is gargantuan.

You don't need to practice any risk management in your life, because Latz and his friends in the lege will manage and regulate risk out of your life. How do they do that? They know better than you. They just do. So you'd better get with their program. And watch out, Big Windex -- you're next.