Many things about America are in constant flux. As a one-time career technologist, I have always marveled at the consistent improvements in the industry.
Last month, I had the opportunity to see a Waymo driverless car in place of the traditional ride-sharing option. It would have never occurred to me at 16 that a driverless car might be in the realm of possibility for my life. But in the next month in Atlanta, Waymo will enter the ecosystem. All the steps an innovator must take to make this a reality is miraculous.
One of the real criticisms of our government is the status quo. Most often political leaders select their causes or teams, foot soldiers get their marching orders and walk in lock step. The ones that operate on their own accord often sit outside of the political quilting circle.
Disrupters in technology are the expectation; so is the meritocracy that accompanies it. If you look around Atlanta, Austin or the Bay Area, it is hard not to be encouraged by the emerging technology companies. And then simultaneously, look at the bills you see in your general assemblies and your congress.
Technology grapples with pushing boundaries. When was the last time your government did something that was truly innovative and took an idea based on its own merits?
I won’t say never, but I will say it is rare.
Take Big Tobacco, for example. In the last five years, companies have introduced many safer options for nicotine users. From pouches to snus to vapes, there’s a growing list of noncombustible products.
Some folks oppose any nicotine products because nicotine is addictive. But the Food & Drug Administration also notes that it is cigarette smoke’s “toxic mix of chemicals — not nicotine — (that) cause the serious health effects among those who use tobacco products, including fatal lung diseases, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cancer.”
From the growing popularity of smoke-free nicotine products, we know there’s a demand for safer alternatives.
Because of regulation and bureaucracy, many of these innovative products take years to get into the marketplace. As I researched this topic, I learned the U.S. government has a Center for Tobacco Products. Federal law requires the center to approve or deny product applications within 180 days.
This is said with a straight face.
The review process drags on for years. Out of 26 million products that have applied, the CTP has approved fewer than 50.
Smoking is bad for you. Residents of Earth drew that conclusion a long time ago. But if something is less harmful, why is the market slow to adopt? Why do politicians and bureaucrats slow-walk solutions that could greatly reduce harm to the public?
The frustrating thing about politics is the tribal nature of the game that gets played.
I cannot tell you if tariffs are good or bad for America in 2025 or 2030. In the short term, I can tell you they have hurt my retirement accounts. But I also have perspective over the long term that it’ll sort itself out.
In a different way, why is the government picking winners and losers in a losing game? Is this partisan?
America has spoken on civil liberties in the past. We can gamble. We can marry anyone we choose. In some states, you can utilize marijuana in public spaces. But smokeless tobacco seems to draw more eyeballs.
Smoking in America continues its steep decline, and that’s something to celebrate. Yet more than 28 million Americans still smoke, and we as a society benefit if they move to reduced-harm alternatives.
If more products are available, shouldn’t the marketplace decide what those options are? I don’t believe that this is controversial.
These products don’t have carcinogens in them. Where is the “trust the science” crowd? Where are the civil liberties advocates? If these products don’t kill people, let the market decide if they succeed or fail.
I took my COVID vaccines. I vaccinated my kids. I heed the warnings from deli meat.
I also believe that the marketplace deserves to be told the truth about carcinogen-free nicotine products. That process is not happening like it should.
America is a place where people are free to live and do what they want to do. Sometimes that can have negative consequences for your own life. Sometimes successful outcomes use the words “less harmful” or “smoke-free.” Sometimes that means: We should trust the science.
It is time to get the agendas out of the boardroom and give America healthier options, or at least less harmful ones.
Ben Burnett is a business owner and former member of the Alpharetta City Council. He is a Republican.
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