4 ms·

Nicotine is being used as a treatment for cognitive decline and dementia. One example of a large on-going study: https://www.alzheimers.gov/clinical-trials/mem

by krrrh 4y ago

Nicotine is being used as a treatment for cognitive decline and dementia. One example of a large on-going study: https://www.alzheimers.gov/clinical-trials/memory-improvement-through-nicotine-dosing-mind https://www.alzheimers.gov/clinical-trials/memory-improvemen... In the end we don’t really know if it makes more sense to be in favour of vape prohibition than alcohol prohibition. But pretending that vaping is in the same category as smoking in terms of potential harms is ignorant.

keithwhor 4y ago
Kids aren’t using nicotine to treat dementia — am I missing something?
- krrrh 4y ago
  I was simply pointing out that your absolute statement that it’s “a systemic toxin” has holes in it since there are valid medical uses. I wasn’t claiming that nicotine use is appropriate for kids, although there are likely medical uses of small doses to provide sensory gating, and it’s also not at all uncommon for wizened psych nurses to tacitly encourage schizophrenics to smoke/vape since it can provide such a rapid self-administered de-escalation of symptoms. In cases like that and many which are less dramatic than full blown schizophrenia, it’s definitely preferable that vapes are more or as accessible than cigarettes. More to the point, most people use some sort of psychoactive drugs from time to time as methods of changing state or mood, and all have preferences for some over others. All too often we assume that other neurotypes don’t exist and that everyone else should be fine with our own preferred mixes of caffeine, alcohol, cannabis, research chemicals, plant medicines, etc.. Recognizing that if your own preferences are valid, that it’s likely others are too is a good forward step, and it’s arguable that vapes are less addictive and far less harmful than smoking, and are a win from a harm reduction perspective. We made a huge shift as a society from nicotine-dominant workforces to caffeine-dominant workforces. There’s no indication that the availability of vaping products is reversing that secular trend in any meaningful way.
  - keithwhor 4y ago
    That’s a lot of text to try and convince me that the most addictive substance on earth is anything but awful for society as a whole. Edit: Removing some snark, you’re arguing for some therapeutic benefit to nicotine. So surely you’d be for a blanket ban on the sale of all nicotine products with the exception of a highly regulated prescription market and subsequent labeling of nicotine as a controlled substance, right?
    - krrrh 4y ago
      > That’s a lot of text to try and convince me I type and think fast, sorry. I’m also not trying to convince you as much as provide counters to bad arguments. You’re right to speak is important to me, but I’m practising harm reduction. > surely you’d be for a blanket ban on the sale of all nicotine products No. Age restrictions or sin taxes are one thing given the negative externalities, but if someone prefers a light vaping habit over a Frappuccino habit it’s not up to me to push them onto the black market. Prohibition very often leads to worse outcomes.

by krrrh 4y ago

keithwhor 4y ago

Kids aren’t using nicotine to treat dementia — am I missing something?

krrrh 4y ago
I was simply pointing out that your absolute statement that it’s “a systemic toxin” has holes in it since there are valid medical uses. I wasn’t claiming that nicotine use is appropriate for kids, although there are likely medical uses of small doses to provide sensory gating, and it’s also not at all uncommon for wizened psych nurses to tacitly encourage schizophrenics to smoke/vape since it can provide such a rapid self-administered de-escalation of symptoms. In cases like that and many which are less dramatic than full blown schizophrenia, it’s definitely preferable that vapes are more or as accessible than cigarettes. More to the point, most people use some sort of psychoactive drugs from time to time as methods of changing state or mood, and all have preferences for some over others. All too often we assume that other neurotypes don’t exist and that everyone else should be fine with our own preferred mixes of caffeine, alcohol, cannabis, research chemicals, plant medicines, etc.. Recognizing that if your own preferences are valid, that it’s likely others are too is a good forward step, and it’s arguable that vapes are less addictive and far less harmful than smoking, and are a win from a harm reduction perspective. We made a huge shift as a society from nicotine-dominant workforces to caffeine-dominant workforces. There’s no indication that the availability of vaping products is reversing that secular trend in any meaningful way.
- keithwhor 4y ago
  That’s a lot of text to try and convince me that the most addictive substance on earth is anything but awful for society as a whole. Edit: Removing some snark, you’re arguing for some therapeutic benefit to nicotine. So surely you’d be for a blanket ban on the sale of all nicotine products with the exception of a highly regulated prescription market and subsequent labeling of nicotine as a controlled substance, right?
  - krrrh 4y ago
    > That’s a lot of text to try and convince me I type and think fast, sorry. I’m also not trying to convince you as much as provide counters to bad arguments. You’re right to speak is important to me, but I’m practising harm reduction. > surely you’d be for a blanket ban on the sale of all nicotine products No. Age restrictions or sin taxes are one thing given the negative externalities, but if someone prefers a light vaping habit over a Frappuccino habit it’s not up to me to push them onto the black market. Prohibition very often leads to worse outcomes.