By the time Friday night is over, public areas are about to become a little less smoky. So for those who freely use e-cigarettes in public, be sure to get your fill in before the calendar flips to April 19 as Los Angeles is about to ban e-cigarettes in places such as beaches, indoor workplaces, farmers markets, and parks, among other non-private locations.
After the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the ban on “vaping” in March, e-cigarettes will no longer be allowed in the same places where tobacco cigarettes are banned, including outdoor dining areas.
The e-cigarette ban officially goes into effect just after midnight Saturday.
Actors who use e-cigarettes while performing in a live theater show and vaping lounges are exempt from the ban.
Council leaders supported the e-cigarette ban in public areas after Los Angeles County officials claimed e-cigarettes have harmful side effects.
“The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has confirmed that e-cigarettes pose potential dangers for users as well as for non-users who passively inhale the vapors and urges amending local policies to prohibit e-cigarette use in existing smoke-free areas,” the City Council motion that initially proposed the ban on the alternative cigarette devises stated.
“While it has been suggested that electronic smoking devices are safer than traditional cigarettes, these vapors are a source of ultrafine particles which contain nicotine of which even small amounts can have a detrimental effect on developing fetuses and newborn babies,” the motion continued.
E-cigarettes, which were introduced in 2007, are battery-powered devices with a nicotine cartridge inside. The nicotine is dissolved into a combination of glycol and water, which allows the device to emit a colorless vapor free of tar or other substances generally deemed to be harmful. Accordingly, e-cigarettes have often been considered a less obtrusive alternative to traditional cigarettes.
A key element of the debate on e-cigarettes and vaping is whether use of the device translates into increased use of traditional cigarettes or if it helps cigarette smokers quit the oral habit altogether.
