New Hanover County is proposing an ordinance that would prohibit the use of e-cigarettes at county facilities and in county-owned vehicles.
The ordinance, included in commissioners’ agenda for their regular meeting Monday, would prohibit the use of e-cigarettes in county vehicles and buildings and within 50 feet of any public entrance to a building. Violators would be charged $100 per offense.
A memo to the board notes the 50-foot restriction is consistent with the county health board’s rule in effect for health department facilities. Earlier this year, the health board adopted a resolution urging the federal Food and Drug Administration for stricter regulations on the use, and sale, of e-cigarettes.
Related story: Health board urges stricter regulations on sale, use of e-cigarettes
Short for “electronic cigarettes,” e-cigarettes produce a liquid-based vapor that provides the sensation of smoking, and the “fix” of nicotine, without the smell and exposure to tobacco that results from traditional cigarettes.
As public places like hospitals and government facilities have moved toward prohibiting tobacco altogether, e-cigarettes have emerged as an alternative that has become more commonplace, with users seen exhaling the smoke-like vapor in restaurants and other indoor spaces.
The devices’ effects on health are not fully known, however, even as e-cigarettes are marketed as a healthier alternative to tobacco—even a cessation tool for quitting smoking. The FDA has not fully studied e-cigarettes and warns consumers on its website that they have no way of knowing whether e-cigarettes are safe, how much nicotine and potentially harmful chemicals are being inhaled, and if any benefits result from using such products.
As the health board noted in its resolution in July, the county’s resolution points out the unknowns associated with the devices, particularly their potential health impacts.
“Given the potential health risks posed to users and unknown and unquantifiable risk of adverse effects on others, staff is recommending that e-cigarettes be treated similarly to tobacco-related products,” a memo accompanying the ordinance states.
The ordinance would also amend the county’s current prohibition on using tobacco products in county buildings to include the 50-feet-of-an-entranceway restriction.
The health board’s resolution in July was targeted not only to the use but also the sale of e-cigarettes, particularly in regard to selling to minors. Dr. Michael Goins, the board’s vice chairman who requested the board’s resolution this summer, said at the time that he saw potential benefits of using e-cigarettes as a cessation tool, noting however that not enough is known for the board to condone the devices’ use, either.
“It may turn out to be the best way of treating or trying to get people to stop smoking,” Goins said in an interview in July. “But on the flip side, I don’t think all these retail outlets that are being started as you ride across town, that that’s their mission.
“It may help some people, but where are the clinical studies?” he said. “Having been an ex-smoker, I remember many a time: ‘Well, I’m just going to buy one more pack of cigarettes.’ And that went on for years.
“Is this just a way people can inhale their nicotine and still eat in the restaurants and not be kicked out? I think there’s a lot of questions to be asked,” he said, “and I think the health department’s the folks that need to stir the pot and try to get people to think about that.”
Commissioners will consider the ordinance Monday at their regular meeting, to be held at 9 a.m. in the New Hanover County Historic Courthouse. The board could also discuss the proposal in its scheduled agenda review briefing, held the Thursday before each meeting at 4 p.m. at the government center.
Jonathan Spiers is a reporter for Port City Daily. He can be reached at (910) 772-6313 or [email protected]. On Twitter: @jrspiers
