Muskegon County Michigan to Ban E-Cigs/Smoking On ALL County Property!

[ChaoticRamblings]

Muskegon County commissioners offer preliminary approval to smoking ban; support, concerns raised | MLive.com

I just found this out and the meeting is today. If anyone can get down to the meeting, I think it is at 4pm, please do. The final decision hasn't been made yet.

They are also including smoking/using e-cigs in your own vehicle on County property. Fines of $100 - $500???! Insanity!

Please help if you can. I'm not sure what else to do about this.

Thank you in advance.

Muskegon County, Michigan

 

[AutumnBrook]

I'm as usual ...... at Muskegon politics.

 

[ChaoticRamblings]

Muskegon County Commissioners postpone vote on smoking ban for county property | MLive.com

Muskegon County Commissioners have postponed for 90 days a vote on a possible ban from smoking on county property.

At a regular board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 26, commissioners voted 6-3 to postpone the vote for 90 days. A vote earlier in the meeting, also 6-3, had taken out language in the ordinance banning the use of e-cigarettes.

The removal of the language banning e-cigarettes is ONLY until they can do further research. We now have time and a real chance to get them to drop e-cigarettes out of this. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Psyche]

I saw this thread yesterday morning, I didn't have time to post here, but I carved out 5 minutes to send an email to the board. Half a cup of coffee and a pound of indignant rage leads to this :

Muskegon County commissioners offer preliminary approval to smoking ban; support, concerns raised | MLive.com

I saw the story in the link above this morning and wanted to let you know that it has inspired me to avoid Muskegon. In my quest to buy "Made in Michigan" products, I will now be sure they are not made in Muskegon. If anyone I know suggests vacationing there, I will suggest Traverse City is a beautiful Michigan destination. I quit a 25 year long smoking habit two years ago using an electronic cigarette to do it. I will assume going forward that Muskegon County doesn't want any business from people like me.

This proposal is mindless discrimination/persecution and you're not helping anyone.

I'd like to share with you one of the key conclusions from a Drexel University study of the currently available electronic cigarette research. http://publichealth.drexel.edu/~/media/Files/publichealth/ms08.pdf

" Even when compared to workplace standards for involuntary exposures, and using several conservative (erring on the side of caution) assumptions, the exposures from using e-cigarettes fall well below the threshold for concern for compounds with known toxicity. That is, even ignoring the benefits of e-cigarette use and the fact that the exposure is actively chosen, and even comparing to the levels that are considered unacceptable to people who are not benefiting from the exposure and do not want it, the exposures would not generate concern or call for remedial action."

To my knowledge, all current smoking bans are based on the premise that second hand smoke is dangerous. Now it seems bans are being used to send messages to those who would still dare to enjoy the habit, or anything resembling the habit. I wonder where it stops. You may think you're just protecting county property, but you're really sending a message. I hear you loud and clear. I will stay away if you finalize this legislation.

I sincerely hope, for the sake of the American adults under your jurisdiction, that you reconsider the wisdom of this action.

Signed,
One Pi$$ed off eyeball lady
from the other side of the state

I hope they actually read the study. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt if they received it again.

 

[Fulgurant]

Psyche, well done.

It's amazing that these petty tyrants think it's reasonable even to ban cigarettes in private cars, much less e-cigarettes. Don't they have anything better to do? What do they think they'll accomplish with this nonsense?

 

[RandySea]

I originally posted this here - http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-legislation-alert-michigan.html#post12270834

Dear Fellow Muskegonite,

Since you are a member of this forum, I realize you must be aware of the smoking ban the county tried to pass back in November. Thanks to activists like yourselves, and a collection of other concerned citizens, we packed the room and forced the Commissioners to strike E-cigs off the language. They ended up scrambling to delay the vote on the rest of the ordinance for 90 days.

Well, that 90 days is up Tuesday, February 25th. At 4pm the Full Commission will vote to ban Smoking and Smokeless tobacco on all County owned properties, including county-leased buildings and parking lots. As you know, this also includes sitting in your car for a $100 fine the first time, and $500 ever consecutive offense.

i have talked to Sabo and Scolnik, both are still in favor of the ordinance and admit that it 'wont really be enforced'. We all know that will not be the case!

I know the 'e-cigs' are struck from the ordinance, which makes this post seem out of place in these forums dedicated to Vaporizers. However, 'informal' meetings have taken place outside of public view, and the person leading the charge to ban the E-Cigs in the first place is pushing hard to get them back on the ordinance.

They also are slapping an amendment onto the proposed ordinance to ban the sale of E-cigs to minors. This is a strawman amendment, which groups anyone against the whole ordinance into 'people who want children to smoke'.

Here is what you can do to help stop this insane ordinance from passing. Help protect ALL smokers rights!

Politicians HATE controversy. Especially local elected officials. The only thing a politician cares about is getting re-elected.
1) Email your Commissioner!
2) Call your commissioner! Every day if you have to. Tell them to stop these powergrabs, and remind them that you will do everything in your power to hold them accountable on this vote. Meaning not voting for them, volunteering for an opposing candidate, outreach to local groups / friends, whatever!
3)SHOW UP and SPEAK OUT on Tuesday, February 25th - 4pm @ Muskegon County Building.
It's not scary, and it has 100x more impact when we can pack a room. The commissioners took notice last time and backpeddled, lets make it standing-room only once again!
4) Encourage any group you have networked with to call / email their Commissioners! Friends, family, co-workers, bar-friends, any smoker you see on the street!

HERE is the link to the Commissioner's contact information -http://www.co.muskegon.mi.us/boardof...ntact_list.pdf

Let's make them regret listing their Private contact information.
Some further homework; Bob Scolnik is the leading Commissioner in favor of this ordinance, as he is the chair of the committee who brought it forward and voted NO to strike the e-cigs from the language, even though he admitted he didn't even know what they were or how they worked.

For your viewing pleasures, here is a video of me speaking out at the November Meeting and some of the Debate that followed. - Muskegon Commissioners Get Lectured about the Proposed Smoking ban. - YouTube

Every link needed for research is in the description of the video.

Thank you for your time reading this.


In Liberty,
Randy Carroll
West Michigan Activist.

Ps. I'm working on my newest video, i'll post it once it is uploaded if anyone is interested

 

[RandySea]

Here is the video! Please watch it, then share it with anyone whom may be effected by the passing of this ordinance!



http://youtu.be/9VnWyi0ePxA