Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights Now Supporting Bans on Vaping in Public Places

This weekend, Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR) apparently adopted a new position in which it is now advocating for bans on electronic cigarette use in public places. It adopted new model ordinance language which includes e-cigarettes in smoking bans and it is encouraging smoke-free advocates to use this language in future ordinances.

ANR writes to alert its constituents as follows: “We want to alert the field that the “Electronic Cigarette Association” (ECA) is lobbying against the Marion County/Indianapolis smokefree bill. The fast growing electronic cigarette industry is trying to be sure that its products will circumvent smokefree workplace and public place laws. The Indianapolis bill would strengthen the city’s law to include bars and also add electronic cigarettes to the definition of smoking. Just to clarify, this isn’t saying that people can’t use these products, but rather – that electronic cigarettes should be treated like traditional cigarettes and should not be used indoors or in any way that may put others at risk. While the e-cigarette industry claims their products are “safe”, the health risks are still unknown — both to the smoker and those around them.”

To see Dr Michael Siegel’s opinion on this, visit his blog – The Rest of the Story.