The Blunt Ban
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 11:18 AM

A friend of Vice Squad writes in to let us know that the Bluegrass State refuses to be left behind in the race to ban the alcohol vaporizer. But he also brings to our attention the ridiculously sweeping anti-paraphernalia law that recently went into effect in Philadelphia. Nicknamed the "Blunt Ban," the ordinance bans the sale by convenience stores of tobacco-related products that could also be used for consuming some illegal drug apparently called "marijuana" (perhaps it's a Philly thing, like cheese steaks). The ban, adopted unanimously by the Solons of the City Council in December, covers cigarette papers, blunts, cigars sold singly, and matches. (OK, I made up the matches part.)

Vice Squad has noted in the past the impetus for such farsighted legislation. Once a substance is deemed to be evil, then there is no obvious stopping point in measures taken to combat it. Those who use the evil substance can be imprisoned. Those who fail to inform on those who use the evil substance can be imprisoned. Those who sell goods that can be used to consume the evil substance can be imprisoned....

Labels: inhaler, marijuana, paraphernalia, vaporizer

 
Alcohol Inhalers
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 12:08 AM

Vice Squad tends to be of the mind that there should be legal means available for adults to engage in vice, though those means can be rather constricted. The world (and the US) tends to be less tolerant of adult vice. One of the recent examples is the fate of the alcohol inhaler, a newish device that allows you to consume alcohol without drinking it (or taking it intravenously, for that matter). The machine mixes about half a shot of alcohol with some oxygen, allowing you to inhale the alcohol in about 20 minutes. This is surely one of the least attractive ways to consume alcohol. Nevertheless, despite any demonstration of additional harm relative to imbibed alcohol, jurisdictions have rushed to prohibit the alcohol vaporizer. Wikipedia claims 17 states have already protected the children by enacting a ban. Soon to be 18, perhaps, as South Carolina hopes to join the ban-fest.

Vice Squad first noted the alcohol inhaler on April 4, 2004. A few months later, Suffolk County, New York, became the first US jurisdiction to ban the inhaler, following a spate of no deaths or injuries from alcohol inhalation.

Labels: alcohol, inhaler, vaporizer

 
Alcohol inhaling machine is here
- posted by Michael @ 9:04 PM

The Bloomington paper (registration required) printed an AP report that an alcohol inhaling machine went on display at the Trust bar in Manhattan on Friday, August 20. It’s called Alcohol Without Liquid (AWOL?) vaporizer. It mixes alcohol with pressurized oxygen to get you high. According to its makers, it takes about 20 minutes to breathe in one shot. The article says that it is “giving drinkers the effect of alcohol without the drunkenness, or hangover.” Now, I understand why somebody wouldn’t want to have hangover. I can even understand the desire to drink good wine or cognac and not get drunk. But why would I want to inhale alcohol if I don’t get tipsy? More generally, what is “the effect of alcohol without the drunkenness, or hangover”, i.e., what is left? That issue aside, the machine has provoked strong negative reaction from the Democratic state Sen. Carl Kruger who is planning to introduce legislation to ban the machine, calling it a “new form of pipe smoking” and claiming that it could encourage underage drinking and drunk driving. (It’s unclear to me how somebody could engage in drunk driving if the inhaling is supposed not to result in “drunkenness.”) This is the familiar to economists story about how making a dangerous activity somewhat less dangerous creates incentives to engage in the activity more, and might even increase the total amount of danger. (See Sam Peltzman, 1975, “The Effects of Automobile Safety Regulation,” Journal of Political Economy, v. 83, no. 4: 677-725; see also an earlier Vice Squad post related to light cigarettes.)
[Update: Vice Squad has been tracking the diffusion of the alcohol inhaler. -- JL]

Labels: alcohol, inhaler, vaporizer

 
Better Ban It, Just In Case
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 10:15 PM

Earlier this month Vice Squad noted that the alcohol vaporizer -- which allows one to consume alcohol via inhalation (a long-term desire for many people?) -- had been banned in New South Wales, Australia. But at least the machine had made it to Australia. There is now an attempt to ban the vaporizer in Suffolk County, New York, before the evil device even makes its New York premiere.

According to the linked article, it takes 20 minutes to "inhale" one "vaporized shot" of alcohol, which is less than one-half of a usual shot. Does this sound like a desirable way to consume alcohol? I have a feeling that the proposed ban will largely be a case of painting the lily.

Labels: alcohol, Prohibition, vaporizer

 
A New Vice-Related Ban
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 7:10 PM

I imagine there is one every day; today's news is out of New South Wales, Australia. Remember those alcohol inhalers that Vice Squad mentioned a couple of times (April 4 and April 10)? They have been banned in New South Wales by the "Gaming Minister." He doesn't seem to have much evidence that a vapourizing machine (that permits the inhalation) has done any harm, but, according to the linked article, he believes that such a machine "sends an irresponsible message about alcohol consumption." The Minister has further comments that seem to suggest he doesn't think of drinking alcohol as drug use: 'Inhalation or snorting of alcohol is basically synonymous with drug use and that kind of practice should not be encouraged.'

Labels: Australia, inhaler, vaporizer

 
Alcohol Inhaler
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 9:44 PM

Those of you who were worried that the alcohol inhaler that has popped up in Britain and Australia might not make it expeditiously to the States -- well, you can rest easy. (I spent one day in Ann Arbor, and now Blogger is retaliating by rejecting my posts; hence, this short one, as a test.)

Labels: alcohol, inhaler, vaporizer

 
Aussie Alcohol Developments
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 11:39 PM

Just wanted to pass along three quick alcohol-related stories from Australia....

(1) Inhaling alcohol. Just in case consuming alcohol in the normal manner is not dangerous enough for you, now there's the possibility of inhaling it. (Here's another short report on the inhalation device from some months ago, out of Bristol, UK.)

(2) Lockhart River, an aboriginal area of Australia, enacted strict alcohol controls six months ago. It looks as if alcohol-related harms have declined significantly under the beefed-up restrictions. Last month, the new controls led to an unlikely political scandal ("Winegate") when a government plane with a bottle of red wine on board landed at the community airport -- under the restrictions, alcohol is not allowed at the airport.

(3) Vice Cream. You can now procure non-alcoholic but vodka-flavoured ice cream in Australia. I would like to claim credit for the name "Vice Cream," but actually, it is the manufacturer's appellation for a range of similar products.

Labels: alcohol, Australia, inhaler, vaporizer