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Editor’s Note (Sept. 6): This blog was posted before the agenda for the Sept. 11 city council meeting was finalized. The council will now consider an ordinance amendment that prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes to minors and the possession of the devices by minors, but does not restrict where e-cigarettes may be used in public. The original amended ordinance would have prohibited e-cigarettes where tobacco products are already banned. Staff will continue to research provisions related to public use for future consideration.

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By Blanche Brick,  Place 1 City Councilmember

On the same day the College Station City Council discussed adding e-cigarettes and vapor devices to the present ban on smoking in designated public spaces, the World Health Organization released this statement:

World Health Organization Press Release (Aug. 26)

(Newser) – More support for those who think it’s too early to jump on the e-cigarette bandwagon: The vapor-producing devices may still pose a threat to users’ and bystanders’ health, says WHO, which suggests stronger regulations on the relatively new industry in a report released today, reports Reuters. The health organization also asks for a ban on puffing away on the battery-driven units indoors, as well as on advertising and flavored e-cigs that could lure underage users. Although e-cigs “are likely less toxic than conventional ones,” writes Stephanie Nebehay at Reuters, WHO researchers say that nicotine and other chemicals emitted by e-cigs are still a health hazard, especially for teens and pregnant women. Those chemicals can include formaldehyde, aluminum, and silicate particles, reports the Telegraph.

The WHO report is lobbying against e-cig vending machines and says manufacturers shouldn’t be able to tout their products as “smoking cessation aids” until more research is completed to back that claim up. The main debate right now seems to be between those who think that e-cigs can help cut down on tobacco-related deaths and those who argue that using e-cigs could lead to the real thing for youngsters—especially with flavors such as bacon, bubble gum, and even Thin Mint. “Many public health experts are concerned that the advertising of electronic cigarettes could make it seem normal again to think smoking is glamorous,” a health official tells the Telegraph. (The FDA proposes a ban on sales to minors, but hasn’t moved against flavors.)

The city council agreed that there should be a ban on the sale of these devices to minors but could not agree on adding these products to the existing no smoking ordinance, which bans the use of tobacco products in designated public places. The council deferred a decision on the proposed amendment until a future council meeting.

Continue reading “Brick: Why I support adding e-cigarettes to College Station’s tobacco ordinance”