UPDATE November 6: Both Beverly Hills and San Diego County have decided to study the matter further. Neither implemented a ban at their meetings on Nov. 5.
TUESDAY NOV 5th
San Diego Board of Supes 9AM – Beverly Hills City Council 7 PM
Prohibitionists are on the warpath to deny consumers access to smokeless e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes are broadly defined to include devices that can vaporize nicotine or any other substance, including medical marijuana!. These proposals are a slap in the face to countless medical marijuana patients, who are already prevented from smoking their medicine by current anti-smoking laws and have no recourse than to use smokeless vaporizers to inhale their medicine.
• In San Diego Co, the Board of Supervisors is holding 9 AM hearings on a bill to ban e-cigs/vaporizers in non-smoking areas. The evidence is overwhelming that e-cigarettes and vaporizers are effective in eliminating harmful toxins from smoke, and pose negligible risk of harm to secondhand bystanders, but opponents are trying to scare the public into believing they pose unacceptable risks. See Text of San Diego proposal (page 31).
• In Beverly Hills, the City Council is holding 7 PM hearings on an emergency ordinance to ban ALL SALES of e-cigs/vaporizers! The upshot would be that it would remain legal to sell cigarettes in BH, but the sale of vaporizers that have been proven to eliminate smoke toxins would be banned!
Tell lawmakers to stand up for consumers’ rights. E-cigs and vaporizers have proven harm reduction benefits; to ban them will only have adverse public health effects. Many former smokers report they have been able to give up smoking thanks to e-cigarettes. If you can’t attend Tuesday’s hearings, please make your views known to the responsible officials in S.D. and B.H. ASAP.
– Dale Gieringer, Cal NORML
Read CalNORML’s testimony on e-cigarettes
Vista passed an e-cigarette ban on October 23 and Lakewood is considering one.
CalNORML helped defeat an e-cigarette ban at the state level this year arguing it would infringe on medical marijuana patients’ rights.