Weblog
04/18/01 10:31 PM: I really must tip my
I really must tip my hat to Dave. He’s been working like a madman on all this crazy php stuff and whatnot for the polls and everything else. I don’t think I’d have the patience, even if I knew anything about how to do that stuff in the first place.
Here’s a silly idea: nicotine-free cigarettes. Just don’t tell Vector Tobacco. The company plans to sell the things under the name Omni Free. This is ridiculous in so many ways. First of all, they plan to market the cigarettes as a stop-smoking aid, much like nicotine patches and gum. The only difference is that there is no nicotine . . . and its users will still be smoking. Makes sense to me. Obviously, no tobacco company is going to market a product that stops people from smoking. “I think people will smoke less, but more Vector cigarettes and less of other brands. So this is going to be huge.” “We believe there will be a huge demand, and taste will be the key. If you take the taste out with the nicotine, no one wants them. But we haven’t done that.” A stop-smoking aid indeed.
They will also be marketed as a healthier cigarette. Well, I guess 3,999 chemicals are better than 4,000. Maybe they’ll throw in some extra tar to make up for the carcinogen shortage. In case you haven’t read the article and are not yet appalled, Vector uses genetic engineering to grow tobacco without nicotine. Some are worried about possible cross-contamination. This could be the next StarLink. Perhaps that is why Vector’s offer of a guaranteed premium price for its Frankendrug was rejected by so many growers. In fact, the only farmers willing to grow the plants were the cash-strapped Amish of Lancaster, PA.
