Spot The Difference
Can you tell the difference between a bag of Skittles, a tin of Skoal Bandits and a bottle of Cosmic Fog?
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by Dave Cross
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If we can put aside wondering where about we should go on Halloweens in order to get free bottles of Cosmic Fog, it is worth pondering on why it is featured on his display in the first place? Blumenthal doesn’t help answer that question during his speech; he doesn’t mention the juice - or vaping at all.
Blumenthal concentrates on Big Tobacco. Despite being one of the most prominent images on display it is ludicrous that it should be included without reference. The clear implication is that it is that Cosmic Fog is part of a tobacco-driven conspiracy to hook young people into a life of addiction and suffering.
“I come here in sadness and, frankly, anger,” explains the Senator. “Sadness that today thousands of people will become addicted to nicotine and suffer from the diseases that tobacco causes.” All very laudable but then his speech hits the rails as he struggle to conjugate coherent sentences: “Whether it’s cancer or smoking-related lung problems but also tobacco-related problems that can increase the cost as well as the suffering in our nation.” It’s as if he is being paid per cigarette buzzword.
“But people looking at this poster could easily mistake the candy for the candy-flavoured cigarillos. Or the candy cigarettes that appears to be a tobacco product. Or the spit tobacco – that is flavoured with candy lookalikes.” Flavoured with candy lookalikes?
We are left to guess at exactly what is so objectionable about Cosmic Fog’s Cola Gummy. Is it the use of the blue on the label? Is it the appearance of the artificial colour-free liquid itself? Or is it because it mentions the word Cola? Given that 65% of Coke’s advertising is to adults (and all of the Diet Coke marketing is directed to 40+ consumers) it would be ridiculous if it his objection is based on name alone.
We know that Cosmic Fog have nothing to do with the tobacco industry. We also know they are a highly responsible company, having taken the lead on the use of child-proof bottles and ensuring that their range does not contain diacetyl or acetyl propionyl. The notion that using the word Cola encourages children into smoking is as ludicrous as claiming another of their brands, Church, is sold in order to hook Christians.
Writing on Blumenthal’s Facebook wall, Jeff Bray demanded: “Senator Blumenthal, you're a putz! How much is big tobacco paying you?”
Unfortunately Jeff is wide of the mark. Blumenthal’s funding comes courtesy of pharmaceutical companies. It’s why he has previously praised Pfizer and been supported by the entire pharma industry as he pushed for The Deeming Rule.
“The playbook is the same,” Blumenthal continues, “to get children to begin lifetimes of addiction and disease.” The senator is one more person who has spent so long hunting down the tobacco industry he has lost a sense of perspective and conflates nicotine with cigarettes at every turn. It could be you that needs a new playbook, senator.
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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