The tailored-suit crowd is gracing us all with their (virtual) presence under the Golden Dome this week. Not one, not two, but three astroturf lobbyists have weighed in with specious arguments against S.18, a bill to ban flavored tobacco products and e-liquids that passed the Senate last year and now awaits action in the House Human Services Committee.

I have to give them credit for creative thinking. It’s long past the day when they could come right out and advocate for products that are proven harmful to people’s health. Instead, they argue that S.18 would lead to organized crime and poorer mental health, and actually promote tobacco consumption. It’s a feat of logical acrobatics worthy of Cirque du Soleil. One has to hope that our lawmakers are smart enough to see through the smoke.

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