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See other Miscellaneous ArticlesTitle: NYC considers adding e-cigarettes to smoking ban
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URL Source: http://www.kirotv.com/ap/ap/tobacco ... garettes-to-smoking-ban/nb6GT/
Published: Nov 28, 2013
Author: staff
Post Date: 2013-11-28 03:11:55 by Tatarewicz
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Views: 98
Comments: 1
The Associated Press NEW YORK — Proposed legislation that would include electronic cigarettes in the city's ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and other indoor public spaces is coming up for consideration by a committee of the New York City Council. The council's Health Committee has scheduled a public hearing on the issue for Dec. 4. Electronic cigarettes are battery-powered, and allow users to inhale vaporized liquid nicotine instead of tobacco smoke. The legislation is sponsored by Speaker Christine Quinn and Councilmember James Gennaro. They say allowing e-cigarettes in places where tobacco cigarettes are banned threatens "effective enforcement" of the smoking ban because they're designed to look like real cigarettes. Also, "we all know that smoking is a particularly difficult habit to kick. Allowing smokers an easy way to maintain their nicotine intake indoors can make quitting even harder. Allowing the use of e-cigarettes in places where smoking is prohibited sends the wrong message to children — that smoking is safe," the elected officials said in a statement. Thomas Kiklas, co-founder and chief financial officer of the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, said the organization approves of regulations that treat e-cigarettes the same as tobacco cigarettes. "It's been our position that electronic cigarettes should be regulated as a tobacco product," he said. Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration has made anti-smoking efforts a centerpiece of its policies, most recently putting into place landmark legislation that bans the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21. In a statement, Dr. Thomas Farley, the city's Health Commissioner, said the health risks of electronic cigarettes are unknown. "They may introduce a new generation to nicotine addiction, which could lead to their smoking combustion cigarettes," he said. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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