As of Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 805 hospitalizations nationwide related to the vaping of electronic cigarettes, with 12 deaths. Meanwhile, Congress has yet to act on the matter. Only a few states and cities have imposed bans, and these tend to be bans on flavors, not outright bans on the product.

This slow rate of action in the United States tends to be typical when it comes to new products that stimulate the senses or create a high that separates users from reality. The ideal pattern would be to research a product, learn its effects, then intelligently craft a law that bans, regulates or allows its use, depending on the facts. Instead, the pattern seems to be to allow a product based on unsubstantiated claims of health benefits, then react slowly after harm becomes obvious, waiting for the research to come later. Often, these products come with built-in lobbyists or advocacy groups, further complicating matters.

In the case of marijuana, LSD and hallucinogenic mushrooms — all of which either are legal or being considered for legal consumption in one form or another in various parts of the country — the federal government is prohibited from funding research because the drugs are classified as Schedule 1 substances, meaning they are judged to have no redeeming qualities.

And often the proponents of a particular substance will mount a compelling argument that the substance is not as harmful as alcohol, which remains legal, although age restricted, in every state. That false argument tends to brand opponents are hypocrites.

This is not an argument for a return to prohibition, an experiment widely viewed as a failure for a number of reasons. But it is an argument for enacting better procedures when society encounters movements involving the increased use of either new products or old products once deemed harmful.

It’s also an argument to stop using alcohol as a measuring stick. If hundreds of people, including teenagers, are being hospitalized because of e-cigarette use, it’s time to ban that product, then study it and learn of its properties and what might be causing the problems, before considering making it legal again.

The CDC says two-thirds of those who were made sick from vaping are adults between the ages of 18 and 34. It’s hard to mount an argument for only banning certain flavors enticing to underage smokers when the harm is disproportionately represented by the adult population, some of whom likely use the products to quit smoking.

Marijuana has occupied a great deal of legislative time in Utah this year, with lawmakers trying to tweak a successful ballot initiative to allow for medicinal use without also inadvertently making recreational use easier. At the same time, however, lawmakers — and county district attorneys, in particular — have worried that the state is overstepping its bounds because the drug is illegal under federal law.

The answer is to reschedule marijuana to something that would allow for a more thorough study. 

View Comments

Some therapists are touting the careful use of psychedelic mushrooms as effective in treating anxieties and other disorders. Voters in Denver and Oakland recently decriminalized these items, and Oregon voters may consider a similar measure next year.

The question, as always, is whether voters really know what they are about to unleash. As efforts to legalize marijuana have shown, once such laws are in place, industries spring up to provide products and supply chains are put in place. Reversing these decisions then becomes almost impossible.

By failing to allow thorough research on these items, the federal government is failing in its duty to protect American citizens. And by reacting too slowly to what seems to be a growing epidemic of vaping-related illnesses coast to coast, lawmakers at all levels are doing the same.

Governments should err on the side of caution, science and public safety.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.