WASHINGTON – Vape. The word has become so prevalent that the Oxford English Dictionary included it among new entries this year.
To vape is to use an e-cigarette, which emits vapor, not smoke. And while you’re free to say the word all you want, you may be banned from doing it in Montgomery County.
A proposal to ban vaping or using e-cigarettes in public has been introduced before the Montgomery County Council.
According to the bill submitted in a packet to the council on Tuesday, the bill would:
- prohibit the use of electronic cigarettes in public places where traditional tobacco
smoking is prohibited - restrict the sale of certain liquid nicotine or liquid nicotine containers in retail outlets
unless the nicotine is in a container considered child-resistant packaging - prohibit the sale of electronic cigarettes in any place that is accessible to buyers of the
product without the intervention of the seller (similar to tobacco products)
Councilwoman Nancy Floreen, who was a strong supporter of smoking restrictions on county property, says where there’s smoke, there’s controversy.
She says she’s well aware that fans of e-cigarettes will see this as another infringement on their rights. She says she’s already gotten lots of feedback, running from “nasty” to “pretty unpleasant, but that’s not unusual in my position. That’s the gut reaction of folks who don’t like government.”
The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association says e-cigarettes are a great tool to help smokers to reduce their use of traditional tobacco cigarettes. While the association says it’s true that the jury is still out on the overall safety of e-cigarettes, the organization argues that the devices are a clear improvement over traditional tobacco products.
Floreen says e-cigarettes still deliver nicotine. And she considers nicotine use and the addiction it can create “a health concern” for the county, particularly among young people.
Instead of seeing e-cigarettes as a method used by current smokers to cut their tobacco habit, Floreen says e-cigarettes can be an introduction to the habit.
“Speaking as someone whose cousin died last year of throat cancer, which I think was brought on by 40 to 50 years of smoking starting when she was a teenager, this is how you start smoking.”
A hearing on the proposed ban has been scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Jan. 22 at the Montgomery County Council building in Rockville.
Related Story:
- ‘Vape,’ ‘binge-watch’ added to Oxford Dictionaries
- Town’s tobacco ban hearing too rowdy, ends early
- CDC: E-cigarette use rising in high school kids
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report. Follow @kateryanWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.
