CASAA Action Alert:
New Hanover County (Wilmington), NC Commissioners To Consider
vaping Ban on County Property
Ban includes outdoor areas and would set the stage for a future ban that extends to private businesses
Vapers can testify at meeting Monday morning at 9 AM at 24 North Third Street, Room 301 in Wilmington
Dear ,
According to a report from Charlotte News Online, the Board of Commissioners of the Southeast NC county New Hanover (which includes Wilmington) will meet on Monday to hear testimony and likely vote upon an ordinance that would ban the use of smoke-free electronic cigarettes on county property.
While there is a large difference between a ban on
vaping on county property and one that covers workplaces and bars, e-cigarette users should take every opportunity to educate policymakers on the difference between
vaping and smoking.
Please take this opportunity to send the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners accurate information about e-cigarettes and your story about how the product has improved your life. Encourage them to vote no on the forthcoming regulation.
CASAA strongly encourages vapers to attend and speak at Board of Commissioners' meeting on Monday, November 18th at 9 AM at 24 North Third Street, Room 301, in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Contact the Members of the New Hanover Board of Commissioners
Comma delimited e-mail list:
wwhite@nhcgov.com,
bdawson@nhcgov.com,
jbarfield@nhcgov.com,
bberger@nhcgov.com,
twolfe@nhcgov.com
Chairman Woody White
wwhite@nhcgov.com
Office (910) 798-7259
Vice-Chairwoman Beth Dawson
bdawson@nhcgov.com
Office (910) 798-7260
Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, Jr.
jbarfield@nhcgov.com
Cell (910) 233-8780
Commissioner Brian Berger
bberger@nhcgov.com
(910) 431-3115
Commissioner Thomas Wolfe
twolfe@nhcgov.com
(910) 798-7148
What to say to the members of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners:
1. You are a New Hanover or nearby citizen and do not believe there is any evidence to support banning the use of e-cigarettes on county property.
2. Tell your story on how switching to an e-cigarette has changed your life.
3. Explain how smoking bans are enacted to protect the public from the harm of secondhand smoke, but e-cigarettes have not been shown to cause harm to bystanders. In fact, all evidence to date shows that the low health risks associated with e-cigarettes is comparable to other smokeless nicotine products.
The low risks of e-cigarettes is supported by research done by Dr. Siegel of Boston University, Dr. Eissenberg of Virginia Commonwealth, Dr Maciej L Goniewicz of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Dr. Laugesen of Health New Zealand, Dr. Igor Burstyn of Drexel University, and by the fact that the FDA testing, in spite of its press statement, failed to find harmful levels of carcinogens or toxic levels of any chemical in the vapor.
For example, a study by the Roswell Park Center that was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that the levels of chemicals and toxicants in the vapor produced by 12 different e-cigarettes 9-450x less than in cigarette smoke. The authors noted that the trace levels of chemicals present were comparable to what is found in a FDA-approved nicotine inhaler.
Additionally, a comprehensive review by a Drexel University professor based on over 9,000 observations of e-cigarette liquid and vapor found "no apparent concern" for bystanders exposed to e-cigarette vapor, even under "worst case" assumptions about exposure.
4. Detail how electronic cigarette use is easy to distinguish from actual smoking. Although some e-cigarettes resemble real cigarettes, many do not. It is easy to tell when someone lights a cigarette, from the smell of smoke. E-cigarette vapor is practically odorless, and generally any detectable odor is not unpleasant and smells nothing like smoke. Additionally, e-cigarette users can decide whether to release any vapor ("discreet vaping"). With so little evidence of use, enforcing indoor use bans on electronic cigarettes would be nearly impossible.
5. Inform them that the ability to use electronic cigarettes in public spaces will actually improve public health by inspiring other smokers to switch. Surveys of thousands of users indicate that the majority of those who switch, completely replace tobacco cigarettes with the electronic cigarettes, reducing their health risks by 98-99%.
6. Tell them that by switching to a smokeless product, you have greatly reduced your health risks.
7. Direct them to the CASAA.org website, as well as the CASAA Research Library, for more information.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Gregory Conley
(609) 947 - 8059
CASAA Legislative Director
PLEASE NOTE: This action alert is only being sent to CASAA members who are registered as being from a particular U.S. state (or nearby a targeted state), as well members who have chosen to receive e-mail updates from states other than their home location.
CASAA only sends these state-level e-mails when necessary. We will not be regularly sending multiple e-mails a week to our members.
