Rockland County, NY – On Tuesday, Rockland County legislators cast a unanimous 15-0 vote to add electronic cigarettes, or, E-cigs, to the language in its current smoking regulations.
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A press release issued by the governing body stated that the measure was taken out of concern “about potential harmful health impacts.”
Legislator Aney Paul, a pediatric nurse who introduced the resolution, said following the vote, “We are looking out for the safety of our children, our people, our community.”
While the results of studies being conducted on E-cigs are not yet in, Paul said, “It has been determined that cancer-causing chemicals, including formaldehyde, have been found in varying amounts in E-cig aerosols.”
Statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products in April revealed that use of E-cigs among middle and high school students tripled from 2013 to 2014.
While cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, roll-your-own and smokeless tobacco are all currently subject to the FDA’s tobacco-control authority, efforts to bring E-cigs, hookahs and some or all cigars under the same roof have yet to be completed.
Paul said, “Rockland is taking action in the current absence of federal and state laws.”
The amendment will change the language in Rockland’s existing law defining “smoking” and “smoke” to include E-cigs.
Wow, 15-0. Interestting ods