Paramus NJ ban

[ski]

Keep in mind that Bergen County (at least when I lived there a few years ago in Lodi, NJ) is CLOSED on Sunday. Unless you sell food, you can't have a business open. I can remember having to go across the county line to buy a cell phone charger at a Radio Shack. I felt like a high-tech bootlegger. In Garfield in "Little Italy" there are espresso bars full of Italian men reading the newspaper (which is cool). There's a church that still says mass in Latin. It was truly a strange area for me to live in. One of the biggest malls I have ever been in, Garden State Plaza, is closed on Sunday! Crazy! Definitely a different mindset in Bergen than in the rest of the state.

Here's a quote (out of context but just a taste of what can be said about Bergen) from the Bergen County Record: "Both candidates said they would stand strong against any weakening of the blue laws, which keep most stores closed on Sunday, and would work to keep Paramus' laws the most restrictive in the state."

And some nifty reading at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergen_...rsey#Blue_laws
"Paramus has enacted blue laws of its own that are even more restrictive than those enforced by Bergen County,[38] banning all forms of "worldly employment" on Sundays, including white collar workers in office buildings."

Anyway as you are marshalling your arguments for this meeting, you might want to bear in mind that they do things differently in those parts.

[Surveillance]

How differently? Because I have in mind.. an experiment.. maybe we should get as many cigarette smokers as we can to fill up the seats and light up their analogs at the meeting.. in the name of common sense?

[ski]

I'd say you'd be likely fined or whatever the penalty is for smoking in a public indoor space. From my personal experience, they practice blind adherence to the letter of the law. I had 2 encounters w/ the law while living there. First time, I went through a yellow light on a 45 mph road, with about a quarter mile of visibility in front and to both sides of the intersecting road, no cars in sight. I would've had to slam on the brakes to stop, so I went through with plenty of time to spare - a cop a LONG way behind me saw it and wrote me a ticket for careless driving - 2 point moving violation. Didn't matter that not another car was in sight. He said I was lucky he didn't write it for reckless driving. Prosecutor knocked it down to a 0 point ticket in court, $75 fine.

Second time, I got a ticket for alternate side street cleaning. In every other of the 12 or so towns and cities I've lived in in NJ, once the street sweeper goes by you can move your car back to that side of the road - they only ticket you if you're blocking the street sweeper. In Lodi they came around afterwards and wrote me a ticket. I tried to get them to acknowledge this at the courthouse, and they said it didn't matter, I was in violation.

[Mighty Cowphin]

http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/RepEmail.asp

(the only reason I mentioned I am not in her state is... the stupid web page wont allow me not to put my address in.... but I am not sure that is an awful thing.. let her know she is getting US wide publicity on this one... not sure if good or bad????)

I realize you do not need to listen to me as I am not in your state, but I want you to hear and see the truth about the E-cig.

You use the arguement that this is dangerous for children... I am not sure what planet you live on, but have you seen the fruit flavored alcohol? THAT IS THE REAL DANGER. Kids in general cannot afford the e-cig, nor do they have the patients to use them.

I am sick of hearing the arguement that because we have flavored cartridges that we are trying to get kids hooked... It is an ignorant comment made only by ignorant people, don't be one of the ignorant, find out the truth about e-cigs. There are several sources and ANYONE on the ECA will gladly mail or send web sites to the reports from doctors and labs that have very good evidence that the FDA is attempting to pull the wool over everyones eyes on the subject of the e-cig. Please find out the facts before you ruin a chance to save thousands of lives.

[gregg perrelli]

Need Your Attendance Tomorrow Monday 10/26/09, 8 PM

To be with us, in the support of trying to stop the banning of e-cigs used in public places in Paramus, New Jersey.

FAST FACTS
The Paramus Board of Health on Oct. 26 will introduce an ordinance banning the indoor use of electronic cigarettes, and will vote on the ordinance on Nov. 23, after a public hearing. Both meetings will be at Borough Hall, 1 Jockish Square. The public portion of both meetings is at 8 p.m.
Information about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s position on electronic cigarettes:

[novasteve]

Well, if you get fined you have standing to challenege it. I have a feeling they are banning it without any scientific basis, hence it's out of pure animosity to the people it's targetted against. It would be like passing laws against being gay "dressing gay" simply because they don't like gays.

[brytnee1234]

the ban is off in oregon now

[Jaganic_Solitude]

Any news of the Ban in Bergen County NJ still? If it follows through, then even Warren County, one of the few places where smoking in bars is allowed, can fall victim to this unnecessary ban

[novasteve]

So go to any public hearing they might have on it and ask what they are basing the decision on, and if it's not scienced based, then in based in a dislike of a certain group, smokers or former smokers.

[Vocalek]

See the video here. Sign up for an account and leave a comment.

Wagner, Conaway on Bill Package to Restrict Sale, Use of E-Cigarettes (A-4227/A-4228) - Video | NJ.com: Community Videos - NJ.com

The first comment I left never showed up. I left this one and it appears to be displaying:

To quote Dr. Micheal Siegel of the Boston University School of Public Health: "If you are going to interfere with the autonomy of business owners, you ought to have a pretty strong reason to do so. In my mind, that means actual evidence that the exposure is a significant hazard. Mere speculation that there might be a hazard -- without any specific evidence to support that speculation -- is not sufficient, I believe, to justify these types of bans."

Two independent surveys have shown that 79-80% of regular users of electronic "cigarettes" have completely stopped smoking tobacco cigarettes. You know, tobacco cigarettes--the kind you set fire to? The kind that produce real smoke containing tar, carbon monoxide, and particulates?

Many were not even trying to quit smoking, but found themselves (to their surprise) no longer interested in using tobacco cigarettes. Those of us who did have the intention to quit had already tried all of the FDA-approved nicotine replacement products that have a 10% success rate.

We now have a product that is 800% more effective than the recommended treatments. We have an opportunity to take advantage of the existing bans on real smoke to convert a sizeable number of real smokers to this 99% safer product.

Instead of taking advantage of this unprecedented public health opportunity, Ms. Wagner and Dr. Conaway appear to be aiming for the dubious honor of being the New Jersey legislators most likely to prevent smoking cessation.