N.J. Lawmakers Going After E-Cigarettes
The sales pitch for electronic or smokeless cigarettes is crystal clear. The so-called “harmless” cigarettes are supposed to let you smoke where you aren’t supposed to.
But is the hard sell at one New Jersey mall putting non smokers at risk?
It looks like a cigarette but it’s not. An undercover video obtained by CBS 2 HD shows a demonstration of an electronic cigarette inside a local mall.
CBS 2 HD first told you about so called “e” cigarettes back in March — smokeless cigarettes sold online and in stores. The devices give off a vapor product instead of smoke and are marketed to help smokers kick the habit.
But now a company called Smoking Everywhere is showing off their products inside a Bergen County mall, and officials there want to put a stop to it.
“It has no approval from federal government, is easily accessible to young people and quite frankly we believe it is a way around the smoking ban not only in Bergen County but across the state of New Jersey and the country,” Freeholder Vernon Walton said.
The Bergen County freeholder board and Borough of Paramus are drafting one of the nation’s first bans on indoor use of e-cigarettes. In March of 2009 the Food & Drug Administration did some random sampling, which found some shocking results.
“They found e-cigarettes contain proprelyne glycol which is basically the chemical used to make the smoke in this product,” said Albert J. Ferrara of the New Jersey Health Department. “We don’t know how serious that could be, but, again, it is an ingredient used in antifreeze in our cars and that doesn’t sound healthy to any of us.”
And their concerns aren’t just for smokers but everyone around them.
“Second hand smoke is found to be very harmful in conventional tobacco smoke,” Ferrara said. “Now we may be opening another avenue in regards to electronic cigarettes.
“The FDA needs to do some studying on this and decide once and for all what kind of risks there are involved with this.”
CBS 2 HD reached out to the corporate headquarters of Smoking Everywhere but did not receive a callback.
The Board of Freeholders will consider their legislation next week and the Borough of Paramus later in October.
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