City to discuss e-cigs, minors
Whether minors should be able to purchase electronic cigarettes is an issue to be discussed today by the Texarkana, Texas, City Council.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall on 220 Texas Boulevard. The meeting is open to the public.
The item concerning the electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes or “vapes,” was put on as a discussion item at the request of Ward 6 Director Josh Davis. Davis said the sale of the e-cigarettes, which is a cigarette-shaped device containing nicotine-based liquid that is vaporized and inhaled, is not a concern in his ward alone but is citywide. E-cigarettes are used to simulate smoking tobacco, and many people use them as an alternative to smoking or as a step towards quitting smoking.
“I would like us to draft an ordinance prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes to those under the legal smoking age,” Davis said. “I don’t want to take on other aspects of e-cigarettes at this point.”
Davis said the reason he wanted the council members to discuss e-cigarettes sales to minors is because citizens have approached him with concerns about the products. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Website (fda. gov/newsevents), e-cigarettes have not been fully studied so the harm of them is unknown. Additionally, it is not known if e-cigarettes may lead young people to try other tobacco products, including conventional cigarettes, which are known to cause disease and lead to premature death, the page reads.
City Manager John Whitson said he has been researching the item since Davis asked him to add the discussion item. Whitson said he has seen news clippings from across the state about how different cities are handling the trend. Earlier this month in Frisco, Texas, the city council banned e-cigarettes in public areas of the city. Lufkin, Texas, approved a similar ordinance last April, according to dallasnews.com.
Whitson said the purpose of the discussion items such as this one are to allow city staff to get direction from the council on what to do next regarding the items.
Davis emphasized that his interest in the item is because his constituents have indicated they do not want the products available to minors.
“It is not for me to say if it is a safe alternative to tobacco products or not,” Davis said. “I just want the stores to be discouraged from selling them to minors.”
The discussion items portion is near the end of the meeting.
Also Monday, the council will consider a resolution supporting the submission of an application to the 2014 Competitive Housing Tax Credit Program through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs by the Housing Authority of the city as Robison Terrace Development, L.P. for the project known as “Robison Terrace,” located at 1010 Dan Haskins Way. The council will also consider a resolution in support of the submission of the application to the 2014 Competitive Housing Tax Credit Program through the TDHCA by Palladium Texarkana, LTD for the project known as “Palladium Texarkana.”
The council will be briefed for the second time regarding a resolution that would authorize action as may be necessary for the Downtown Development Area to be designated as a United States Department of HUD Designated Local Revitalization Area.