Electronic Cigarette Ban Bill Now Law February 5, 2010
A hot debate continued to rise about the e-cig, a battery-operated device that’s more commonly called the electronic cigarette. This device, which resembles and feels like a real cigarette, is often purchased on the internet and at mall kiosks. While many advocates raved about this device being a safer alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes, others opposed this device claiming it was just another cliche tobacco product with a variety of fruity flavors, that lures today’s youth into the addicting world of smoking. In fact, The Food and Drug Administration are certainly not in support of the product because the device contains carcinogens and toxic chemicals just like diethylene glycol, an ingredient utilized in antifreeze.
On January 11, 2010 New Jersey’s former Governor Jon S. Corzine on the sides with those not in favor of the esmokes and supported Assemblywomen Nancy Munoz’s sponsored legislation (A4227/4228) by signing the bill that bans e cigarettes from being sold to anyone under the age of 19 years old. This law also amends the 2006 New Jersey Smoke Free Air Act, a law that prohibits smoking in indoor public places and workplaces, to include electronic cigarettes. Under this bill, which takes effect 60 days after the former Governor’s signing, the consequences that currently apply to a person who smokes tobacco within a indoor public place or workplace will also apply to a person who uses an esmoke in similar settings. These penalties include: a fine no less than $250 for the first offense, a $500 fine for the second offense, and a $1,000 fine for every additional offense.
As Community Partnerships for a Tobacco Free NJ Coordinator at the Somerset Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (SCADD), which is funded by the NJ Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program (CTCP), and member of the Somerset County Cancer Coalition, we believe it is important for every New Jersey resident to be aware of this new law, as well as the penalties that will be issued if it is challenged. More importantly, it’s imperative to know where to seek help if you’re looking for healthier an approach to quit smoking, approved by the FDA. If you or anyone you know is interested in quitting smoking please contact the Somerset Medical Center’s Quit-Center at (908) 685-2442, logon to New Jersey Quitnet at nj.quitnet.com, or call New Jersey Quitline at (866) NJ-STOPS.
Note: The above article demonstrates the gross ignorance of exactly WHAT an e-cigarette actually is! There’s absolutely NO Tobacco and the allegation that the glycol being used in anti-freeze, a known carcinogen, implies the e-cig will kill you! Nothing could be further from the truth. There’s no evidence, but the established censors simply give in to peer pressure.
Really, why haven’t the big Tobacco companies tried to compete, rather than fight this paradigm shift in nicotine delivery devices!