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Lawmakers Roll Foward E-Cigarette Bans
March 12, 2014
Minors wouldn’t be able to buy electronic cigarettes under one proposal ready for a full Senate vote and another working its way through House committees. The Senate on Tuesday teed up its measure (SB 224), sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, for a full vote as early as March 20.
The bill would add nicotine dispensing devices, but not nicotine patches, to the list of tobacco products prohibited for sale to people under age 18. The bill also would make it illegal for minors to possess electronic cigarettes and associated products.
Hours later, the House Government Operations Appropriations Committee unanimously supported a similar proposal (HB 169) that would ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors and would also create statewide regulations that supersede local-government rules regarding the products.
“We cannot have 415 cities and 67 different counties having different types of e-cigarette laws,” said Rep. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, one of the bill’s sponsors. Florida League of Cities lobbyist Casey Cook expressed concern that the bill would remove existing ordinances that in some cases control where products are placed.
“If you sell tobacco products, they have to be located behind the counter. This preemption would do away with that,” Cook said.
Artiles said the issue would be addressed before the bill reaches its next committee stop. The electronic cigarettes, which dispense nicotine through a vaporizer, are viewed by some as more acceptable than smoking. But critics, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, argue that e-cigarettes with flavors like bubble gum and banana are likely to appeal to youths and could get them addicted to nicotine or hooked on smoking at early ages.
Comments
6 Responses to “Lawmakers Roll Foward E-Cigarette Bans”
As mentioned above, banning/restricting ecigs but not pot? Ecigs are much healthier amd what the article didn’t mention was that ecigs can come without nicotine. And also, who’s to say that adults don’t like sweets?
Nicotine is a drug.
It is reasonable to forbid minors to take drugs not intended to treat ailments (not that forbidding is 100% effective).
Adults should be free to consume anything they wish as long as they harm nobody other than themselves.
Thin out the morons.
Nicotine vapor drug delivery systems are safer than tobacco, fewer ways of killing.
You can not pretend to smoke a FAKE cigarette that is bad for you in Florida. But instead let’s push dope instead, it’s better for your health.
Good one, that’s really funny people!!
I’m having some trouble understanding the negativity. We are mad about restricting something that is bad because they haven’t banned everything that’s bad?
stop smoking, ciggarettes that is but pot well thats another story.
ban e-cigarettes from the public and youth, but pot that is another story.
what a crazy world we live in, after all it is only pot not real cigarettes that are ruining your lungs. but do not let minors use e-cigs to stop real smoking and for goodness sake do not allow e-cigs to be used in public.
Some of use older folks can remember buying bubble gum or candy cigarettes at the dime store as a child. They never gave me the desire to smoke the real thing.
If any of my children ever decide to smoke, I would prefer they got there nicotine by using a E-cigarette over a real one or dipping snuff.
The vapor cigarettes are harmless and only deliver a dose of nicotine, just like a cup of coffee delivers caffeine. I have never understood some people talking about the sins of smoking while sipping on a Coke or cup of Coffee.
Caffeine and Nicotine are both stimulants, and both are highly addictive.