Backlash Against Electronic Cigarettes Continues

With Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City thinking about bans and health advocates questioning the safety, electronic cigarettes may face an uphill battle next year.

December 20, 2013

NEW YORK CITY – The battle for electronic cigarettes is heating up, the Wall Street Journal reports. After rapid growth and expansion, e-cigarettes are coming up against strong opposition in the form of bans and possible new regulations.

Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City are all considering including e-cigarettes in current smoking bans, with New York’s council voting today on the issue. Chicago and Los Angeles are expected to debate the issue early next year. “I don't have any doubts the vapor is less harmful than secondhand smoke, but vapor cannot be good for you,” said Mitch O'Farrell, a council member who sponsored the Los Angeles bill.

In addition, health officials are sounding the alarm about the potential harm the vapor devices could cause. “There are reasonable concerns and reasons for folding them into the existing clean-air framework for cigarettes,” said Tim McAfee, director of the Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Utah, North Dakota and New Jersey all now incorporate e-cigs in current smoking bans, with more than 100 cities—including Boston, Indianapolis and Seattle—following that example. Earlier this fall, lawmakers in dozens of states started moving ahead with plans to regulate e-cigs, which would mean more smoking restrictions and taxes. Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will likely issue rules on electronic cigarettes next year.

Read more on e-cigarettes in the January 2014 issue of newly redesigned NACS Magazine.

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