Oregon Tries To Ban The Use of Electronic Cigarettes In Public Spaces

by Jenny Spring

Oregon Tries To Ban The Use of Electronic Cigarettes In Public Spaces

As electronic cigarettes grows in profit and popularity, so does the heightened concern about regulating and even banning their use by state and city legislators. With absolutely no definitive scientific studies having been performed on the effects of electronic cigarette use, it is startling to see how viciously some states have acted against their use.

On February 12, 2014, Oregon’s House Services and Housing Committee met to consider two bills that would drastically regulate the use of electronic cigarettes in the state. HB 4115 and HB 4073 are two bills that together would essentially treat electronic cigarettes the same as analog cigarettes.

HB 4073 would make it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to purchase electronic cigarette hardware and/or e-liquid. This particular bill would not alter the industry much, as the vast majority of electronic cigarette retailers have self-regulated and do not permit purchases by anyone under 18-years-old. Although, if passed, the bill would likely require an ID check for in-store sales and an adult signature for all online sales.

HB 4115, on the other hand, takes electronic cigarette regulations to another level by banning their use in all public buildings and workplaces—virtually treating them in the exact same way as traditional analog cigarettes. Many maintain that this bill is a gross over-regulation, and a law that would be wholly unnecessary. Electronic cigarettes are odorless, and there is absolutely no evidence that their use poses any health risk to the user, let alone to others through secondhand vape.

In fact, several independent studies have demonstrated that the ingredients contained within electronic cigarettes, primarily vegetable glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG), pose no health risks to those who ingest these products. Both of these products are FDA approved and used in a host of other products that humans use and consume daily. It is extremely concerning that legislators, such as those in Oregon, would take such extreme and drastic preemptive measures with no evidence to backup their actions.

Regulations, such as that which the State of Oregon is proposing, not only harms the freedom of those who enjoy using electronic cigarettes, but also harms the electronic cigarette industry as a whole. The E-Cig industry is one of the fastest-growing businesses in the United States today--something that has been experienced less and less in this country particularly due to these burdensome and unnecessary regulations.

Although most would agree that the industry does need some level of regulation, the drastic actions taken by states like Oregon is rather extreme. It is important for vapers and proponents of electronic cigarettes to speak out and actively voice their opinions to state and city legislatures in order to halt these ludicrous regulatory actions. If you want to oppose HB 4073 or HB 4115, you can do so by emailing members of the Oregon House Human Services Committee.

The following is a list of their email addresses – just copy and paste them all into the “To” section of the email, and they will all receive it:

rep.davidgomberg@state.or.us, rep.andyolson@state.or.us, rep.joegallegos@state.or.us, rep.saragelser@state.or.us, rep.vicgilliam@state.or.us, rep.alissakenyguyer@state.or.us, rep.genewhisnant@state.or.us, rep.gailwhitsett@state.or.us, rep.annlininger@state.or.us, jenny.donovan@state.or.us