I sure don't doubt it's real. Governments are just doing a shake-down. They want their cut like pharma and tobacco do. Stupid analog businesses just don't know how to take advantage of the digital world. It's true in music, it's true in publishing, it's true in movies. The establishment (oh, we used that word with disrespect in the 70s!) just does not understand how to move sideways. What happens in reality though, is it ends up a diagonal path and everyone gets satisfied. Eventually. The trip getting there though is a big fat MF. Some day we'll see the end of prohibition too, I just may not live to see it. But it's bound to happen because reality is bigger than everybody. Trying to change reality is like pushing a rope up a mountain. Businesses try that every day; it just costs them time and money. Governments try that every day; it just makes them look stupid and the smart voters eventually get their way and vote the stupidest bureaucrats out. Unfortunately there's always plenty of stupid and inertia to drag things far beyond their logical conclusion.
The sane response to this is to acquire as large an inventory of critical products as possible. I'm glad I have my nic now; attys are next, and then connectors. I'm not going to take up analogs again until they make me. You guys in denial can go ahead and get ready to smoke or quit nicotine. Your choice. Just realize that eventually vaping will see its worth, and when all the big players have figured out how to get their cut, it'll all be okay again. Trust me. It's just about money.