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Statement in support of proposal to add e-cigarettes to NYC Smoke Free Air Act
December 5, 2013
HEALTH ADVOCATES APPLAUD CITY COUNCIL HEALTH COMMITTEE FOR CONSIDERING INCLUSION OF E-CIGARETTES IN SMOKE-FREE AIR ACT
MEASURE WOULD BOLSTER ENFORCEMENT OF ANTI-SMOKING LAWS AND DISCOURAGE USE OF UNREGULATED NICOTINE DELIVERING DEVICES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DECEMBER 4, 2013
A broad coalition of advocates have joined today to applaud the City Council Health Committee for taking up proposed legislation to include electronic cigarettes in the city’s Smoke-Free Air Act. The legislation will include e-cigarettes, which are untested and unregulated by the US Food and Drug Administration, in the Smoke-Free Air Act, the sweeping city law that prohibits smoking in workplaces, including bars and restaurants.
Advocates lauding the consideration of this legislation include the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, and the American Lung Association of the Northeast. They and others consider e-cigarettes another way for New Yorkers to become addicted to nicotine which may lead to tobacco consumption, are wary of the health effects of these unregulated devices, and do not view them as viable cessation methods to help people quit smoking.
Click here to read ACS CAN's testimony at the hearing.
“Restricting the use of electronic cigarettes, in just the same way traditional smoking is restricted in the Smoke Free Air Act is the right strategy for New York City. Behavior that simulates smoking, whether its tobacco smoke or vapor, has the same effect—normalizing smoking,” said Michele Bonan, Regional Director of Advocacy for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “We should not turn the clock back 10 years on this issue, and send the wrong message to our kids. It’s bad enough that these completely unregulated products are enticing to kids, with bubble gum and caramel apple flavors. They are practically starter kits, and could lead kids down the road to picking up a deadly tobacco addiction.”
Jeffrey Seyler, the President and CEO of the American Lung Association of the Northeast, urged the City Council to approve this legislation to limit the use of these potentially dangerous devices.
“The Lung Association wholeheartedly supports New York City's proposal to expand its Smoke-Free Air Act to include e-cigarettes,” said Seyle. "Initial studies have shown there may be a chemical cocktail being emitted by e-cigarette users when they exhale. We encourage the City Council to quickly pass this legislation and Mayor Bloomberg to sign it into law.”
Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids lauded the Council’s efforts to ensure every New Yorker has clean air to breath in their workplace.
“Including electronic cigarettes in New York City’s clean indoor air law will help protect everyone’s right to breathe clean, healthy air in workplaces and public places,” said Myers. “This legislation will protect non-users from possible health risks posed by e-cigarette emissions, facilitate enforcement of the law, and encourage smokers to quit instead of using both cigarettes and e-cigarettes. We urge the City Council to support this important legislation.”
Dr. Merle Myerson, Director of the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Program at St. Luke's and Roosevelt Hospitals and a member of the American Heart Association's Board of Directors, lauded the city council’s leadership in the fight against the health impacts of smoking.
"Both traditional cigarette and electronic cigarette use are inappropriate for areas that are "no-smoking," stated Dr. Myerson. “There are many reasons for this, including the complications of enforcing the city's existing smoke-free law, as well as the endorsement of smoking in areas where New Yorkers work and families and young children congregate. Our city should be commended for taking action against the latest products from the tobacco industry. By restricting their use, we hope smokers continue to look toward scientifically-proven methods to quit their tobacco addiction."
Sheelah Feinberg, the Executive Director of the NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City, said dedicated efforts to combat Big Tobacco’s recruitment of new smokers, especially youth, is essential to continue progress.
“The number of youth who have smoked an e-cigarette doubled last year. We are concerned that this unregulated product, sold in candy and fruit flavors that appeal to youth, will serve as a nicotine starter kit for a new generation of smokers,” said Feinberg. “By expanding the NYC Smoke-Free Air Act to include e-cigarettes, we will take a comprehensive approach to protecting the right of all New Yorkers to breathe clean, healthy air in workplaces and public places and also encourage smokers to break their addiction to nicotine.”
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