E-CIGS SMOKED
Cuomo signing law today to crack down on e-cigs
ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo on Monday plans to sign into law new restrictions on electronic cigarettes that effectively ban their use in most restaurants, bars and workplaces, the Daily News has learned.
The measure, adopted by the Legislature in June, extends the provisions of New York’s Clean Indoor Air Act to include e-cigarettes and has been a top priority of antismoking advocates.
“These products are marketed as a healthier alternative to cigarettes, but the reality is they also carry long-term risks to the health of users and those around them,” Cuomo said.
“This measure closes another dangerous loophole in the law, creating a stronger, healthier New York for all.”
Cuomo’s decision to sign the bill had been expected. He proposed similar restrictions on e-cigarette use as part of his executive budget proposal in January.
Supporters of the measure, including the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association, had been lobbying lawmakers and Cuomo to approve the mea- sure, arguing that smoke from e-cigarettes posed health risks akin to those of regular cigarettes.
“This is a good step because ecigarette aerosol is not harmless,” said Julie Hart of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “This will help to ensure that all workers have access to clean air.”
Hart and other activists also hope that the new restrictions will help reduce the surging popularity of e-cigarettes and vaping among teens. A state Health Department survey released in January found that the percentage of high school students who used e-cigs had nearly doubled, to 20.6% in 2016 from 10.5% in 2014.
“It is pretty scary that 20% of high school kids are using e-cigarettes,” Hart said. “Hopefully this will help to denormalize the use of e-cigarettes.”
The new restrictions mark the latest in a series of recent steps taken by the state to curb e-cigarette use, especially among minors.
In July, Gov. Cuomo signed into a law a measure that outlawed the smoking of e-cigarettes in all public and private schools.
State lawmakers have also introduced measures to ban the sale of flavored liquids used in e-cigarettes.
Critics, including the American Vaping Association, have blasted the measures, arguing the health risks of e-cigarettes are being exaggerated.