Reading the smoke signals on e-cigarettes: Can you puff away on a plane, train or in your local bar?

By / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Where there’s smoking, there’s no longer fire — but there’s plenty of heated debate.
Electronic cigarettes, known to smokers as e-cigarettes, are lighting up the city as puffers snuff out their butts in favor of the refillable, rechargeable alternative, which produces a not-so-smelly vapor instead of pungent smoke.
But should tokers treat these devices like cigarettes themselves, keeping the habit out of restaurants, bars, barbershops and airplanes? Or should they light up wherever the mood strikes, taking advantage of industry claims that the synthetic nicotine sticks are as harmless to passersby as nightclub fog machines?
Depends on who — and where — you ask.
Trains, planes and buses are out of the question.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority told the Daily News it allows no e-cigs on the E train or any of its rides, for that matter.
“We would interpret our prohibition on smoking as applying to electronic cigarettes,” a spokeswoman wrote in an e-mail.
The Long Island Rail Road also extends it cigarette ban to e-cigarettes.
The U.S. Department of Transportation says no smoking — or “vaping,” as e-cigarette enthusiasts call it — on airplanes.
But that’s where the formal prohibitions end. The city Parks Department doesn’t consider vaping to be smoking, meaning Mayor Bloomberg’s ban on puffers in parks is not airtight.
More importantly, the city’s Department of Health says Bloomberg’s defining Smoke Free Air Act, which prohibits smoking inside public places, does not govern electronic smoking. That means as far as the city is concerned, any bar, restaurant, movie theater, nightclub, bowling alley, nail salon or shopping mall is fair game for vaping.
That is, of course, if business owners choose to allow it.
Some do, and some don’t: Starbucks recently snuffed out the chance for patrons to enjoy coffee and e-cigarettes, while lower East Side bars Iggy’s, Whiskey Ward and Coal Yard don’t have a problem with it. On the other hand, many Times Square bars and Broadway theaters say no to e-smoking.
It’s a legal area that’s grayer than a smoker’s lungs, according to Phil Roseman, co-owner of VapeNY, Manhattan’s first electronic-cigarette shop.
“What we tell our customers is that you can vape anywhere you like,” says Roseman, whose newly opened lower East Side storefront sells the battery-powered devices for about $40 a pop, as well as flavored refills like coffee, vanilla and “juicy fruit.” “I’ve taken it on planes, into restaurants and movie theaters, and never had a problem.”
The store has been doing brisk businesses, as more and more nicotine addicts decide they don’t want to pay $15 for a pack of real cigarettes when there’s a cheaper, less-taxed, and more socially permissable alternative.
Not to mention, one that doesn’t stink up the whole apartment.
“I can use this e-cigarette as much as I want and my wife doesn’t complain about the smell,” says lower East Side resident Mike Chan, 41, a VapeNY regular who spends about $30 a month on the liquid refills, down significantly from his cigarette-smoking days.
That’s not to say all New Yorkers are welcoming the glowing tip of these electronic devices.
“There was a time when I was wasted, vaping an e-cigarette, and someone came up to me and told me to put it out,” says Alex Catarinella, 26. “I blew smoke in his face and then pretended to put out my cigarette on his chest. He jumped!”
Writers and regular e-smokers Christelle Gérand, 27, and Joel Johnson, 35, toured the city with the Daily News and vaped openly in bars, restaurants, a dry cleaner and even a grocery store without anyone telling them to cut it out.
“I am surprised at how many places don’t seem to mind — especially bars,” says Johnson.
One place that will never turn e-smokers away is the Henley Lounge, planned to open in SoHo in September. The local e-cigarette company hopes to screen films and host talks, all while passing out samples of its Henley e-cigs.
“Our job with this company is to educate people that nicotine is like caffeine,” says Henley co-founder Talia Eisenberg. “Yes, it’s addictive, but it’s not going to hurt you.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/rules-e-cigarettes-article-1.1412964?pgno=1#ixzz2ajJYNc2i
 

Most U.S. youth exposed to tobacco advertising in stores

ATLANTA, July 31 (UPI) — U.S. researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say a lot of kids continue to see tobacco ads and be influenced by them.
Dr. Shanta Dube, lead health scientist for surveillance in the Epidemiology Branch, Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues examined the proportion of adolescents exposed to pro-tobacco advertising and assessed the association between this exposure and susceptibility to smoking.
The researchers used data from the 2011 National Youth Tobacco Survey to calculate the proportion of susceptible middle-school and high-school students exposed to pro-tobacco advertisements via stores, magazines and the Internet. Susceptibility to smoking cigarettes was defined as “never smoked but open to trying cigarettes,” Dube said.
In 2011, 81.5 percent of middle-school students and 87 percent of high-school students were exposed to tobacco advertisements in stores; 48 percent of middle-school students and 54 percent of high-school students were exposed to such advertising in magazines.
Exposure to tobacco advertisements on the Internet was similar at about 40 percent for both middle-school and high-school students.
Of those surveyed, 22 percent of middle-school students and 24 percent of high-school students were susceptible to trying cigarettes.
Exposure to magazine advertising declined from 71.8 percent in 2000 to 46 percent in 2009 among susceptible middle-school students; but exposure increased to 55 percent in 2011. Tobacco advertising seen through the Internet among susceptible high-school students increased from 26 percent in 2000 to 45 percent in 2011.
The study was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2013/07/31/Most-US-youth-exposed-to-tobacco-advertising-in-stores/UPI-26521375321062/#ixzz2ajGPXhMN

E-CIGARETTE BAN: Hennepin County property now off-limits

by Bill Keller
Smokers may be able to smoke in vehicles and their homes, but there are fewer public places to light up. Now, even electronic cigarettes are banned on Hennepin County property.
Most private buildings have a rule about smoking near entrances, but a new law is cutting a new way to cut cravings out of the picture.
“I was just a little disappointed that the county would take that stand on them because people are trying to quit,” said Donna Bratulich.
E-cigarettes seemed to fill a void as smoking restrictions continued to mount by offering a way to get a nicotine fix without breaking the law, but Hennepin County employees got an e-mail clarifying the tobacco-free property policy on Tuesday that listed the devices on a list of prohibited products.
“We are proactive. We’ve been proactive here,” said Hennepin County Administrator David Hough. “We want to make sure that our workforce and the residents, clients in the building are being protected.”
Hough said the decision was made after concerns were raised last week even though e-cigarettes do not violate the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act.
“The law is very specific in how it defines smoking as involving the combustion of tobacco or other materials to create smoke,” Dan McElroy, of the Minnesota Restaurant Association, told FOX 9 News. “So, an e-cigarette is not a cigarette or smoking device in the eyes of the law.”
McElroy told FOX 9 News he is not aware of any restaurants that ban e-cigarettes, but he has fielded several questions on the topic.
“The difference in e-cigarettes is they don’t create second-hand impact,” he explained.
Hennepin County’s decision may mark the first ban on nicotine regardless of where it comes from, and it applies to anyone on Hennepin County property regardless of whether the person works there or not.
Metro Transit is also in the process of updating its rules to make using e-cigarettes on a bus or light rail a violation of its code of conduct.
Read more: E-CIGARETTE BAN: Hennepin County property now off-limits – KMSP-TV http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/22973287/e-cigarette-ban-hennepin-county-property-now-off-limits#ixzz2ajIG8Ki4
 

C-stores Could Hit $1B in E-Cigarette Sales This Year

NEW YORK — New Nielsen convenience store data indicates that electronic cigarette sales could hit $1 billion this year, with that figure jumping to $1.7 billion when factoring in online sales.
Leading e-cigarette sales at c-stores is Lorillard Inc.’s blu eCigs brand, according to Bonnie Herzog, managing director of tobacco, beverage and consumer research at Wells Fargo Securities LLC. She cited Nielsennumbers showing that blu captured 39 percent of the dollar share in the convenience channel during the most recent four-week period ended July 6, followed by NJOY with a 30.1-percent share.
Looking at extended all-outlet coverage (XAOC) from New York City-based Nielsen, blu came in first again with a 44.5-percent share. Other leading brands in the XAOC channel include FIN at 20.6 percent, Mistic at 11.7 percent and NJOY at 10.8 percent.
“We believe e-cigarette consumption could surpass traditional cigarettes within the next decade and the combined operating profit pool could generate a CAGR [compounded annual growth rate] of 7 percent over the next decade,” Herzog stated.
While electronic cigarette dollar sales grew 189.6 percent in the four-week period ended July 6, according to Nielsen, total cigarette dollar sales in the U.S. convenience channel grew 1.2 percent over the same timeframe, vs. 1 percent in the last four-week period and 1.3 percent in the prior year.
Unit sales posted their best results – meaning their lowest decline — of the past 12 periods, Herzog said, adding that this was likely driven by moderating net price realization.
“We believe the recent cigarette list price increase of 6 cents per pack is now reflected in the c-store channel. Despite somewhat tepid price realization for retailers per the Nielsen data, we expect net price realization for the manufacturers to accelerate to about 4 percent in [fiscal year] 2013, which should offset volume declines, leading to positive dollar sales,” she explained.
As for individual cigarette brands, all three Big Tobacco companies — the Altria Group Inc. Reynolds American Inc. and Lorillard — saw positive numbers during the period, she added.
http://www.csnews.com/top-story-tobacco-c_stores_could_hit_$1b_in_e_cigarette_sales_this_year_-64164.html

University of Texas at San Diego to Study Health Effects of E-Cigarettes

San Francisco, CA – William Cooke and Donovan Fogt, UTSA kinesiologists, have received a $30,000 seed fund from the University to help investigate the health effects of electronic cigarettes. They will be teaming up with Assistant Professor Caroline Rickards at the University of North Texas to help gather data about the effects of e-cigarettes and the body’s basic physiological health.
e-Cigarettes have been around for about six years, and have been marketed as an alternative to smokers who want to decrease their risk of serious health risks of smoking, but still enjoy the effects of nicotine. The devices have been aggressively marketed to make people believe that there are little-to-no side effects of inhaling pure nicotine, but in reality, very little research has been done to study the effects of inhaling vaporized nicotine.
The scholars will be working under the hypothesis that vaporized nicotine “stimulates the human nervous system in ways that could seriously impact daily living”. They believe that the inhalation of pure nicotine has the potential to increase a person’s resting metabolism, making exercise problematic, just as in smoking traditional cigarettes. They also are hypothesizing that e-cigarettes will prevent the cardiovascular system from properly system from properly regulating arterial pressure.
If the hypothesis is correct, additional research will be needed to help understand the immediate effects of vaporized nicotine, as well as the impact of dosage in each device, and age on the e-cigarette user’s health.
http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/university-of-texas-at-san-diego-to-study-health-effects-of-e-cigarettes-292135.htm

The electronic cigarette ignites debate

By Michael Crusan – email
Eau Claire (WQOW) – Electronic cigarettes are technically smoke free, but some businesses and health experts are drawing the line to put them out.
This alternative to smoking is receiving mixed reviews in Eau Claire.
“Have the brown filter, the white battery, I mean it looks just like you’re naturally smoking a cigarette and even the end lights up red,” explains regional manager of Eau Claire Tobacco Shop, Jessica Hartkemeyer.
A red light leading restaurant owners and health officials to say stop.
“Electronic cigarettes, to me, is smoking.  It’s the same thing, it’s the same type of scene it is.  In all our restaurants where we have non-smoking areas, it will be non-smoking for electronic cigarettes,” says Eau Claire restaurant owner Lisa Aspenson.
Especially when the federal government isn’t controlling what’s in a cloud of e-cig vapor.
“The FDA has not evaluated it for the content of nicotine or for other dangerous drugs,” says Mayo Clinic Health System Nurse Practitioner, Kim Edson.
“The FDA, I think, is avoiding putting their stamp of approval on this because it’s not necessarily a quit smoking device.  It can be used as a replacement that’s just a little bit cheaper,” says Hartkemeyer.
So what does your average e-cig contain in a puff of vapor?
“USP grade liquid nicotine, kosher certified natural and artificial flavors,” says Hartkemeyer.
Much shorter than the list of ingredients in a cigarette, but still not approved by doctors.
“For the intent of stopping smoking we don’t recommend it because it still promotes the behaviors of smoking,” says Edson.
Because it’s hard to tell if the cigarette is made with paper or plastic.
“When they first came out I did have customers say, ‘Well bars asked me not to use these or restaurants because it gives the impression that we are smoking in the establishment’,” says Hartkemeyer.
“So I think we’ll just stay with the non-smoking trend and maybe be the first to implement it in the Eau Claire area,” says Aspenson.
Instead asking smokers to step outside whether they light or ignite.
Aspenson also owns the Livery in downtown Eau Claire and says they do allow outdoor smoking for tobacco or electronic cigarettes at that location.
Read more or view video:  http://www.wqow.com/story/22960738/2013/07/29/the-electronic-cigarette-ignites-debate

Law banning smoking in restaurants turns 10

 / Featured Stories, Fulton News
For many of us, it seems like a lifetime ago when we were asked if we wanted to be seated at the smoking or non-smoking section in our local restaurant.
For Zachary and Matthew Metott, it was an actual lifetime ago. The Metott boys turn 10 years old this year and have never known a world where smoking was allowed in New York state restaurants. July 24th is the 10th anniversary of the Expanded Clean Indoor Air Act, most commonly known for prohibiting smoking in bars and restaurants.
The 2003 state law banned smoking in almost all workplaces, bars, restaurants, bowling facilities, taverns and bingo halls and protected millions of New Yorkers from daily exposure to second-hand smoke and the illnesses it causes.
When the Metott boys were asked their thoughts on having smoking and non-smoking sections in restaurants Matthew replied, “That’s just weird!” Zachary added “I’d wonder why they were doing that.”
Zachary and Matthew met at Vona’s Restaurant to talk with the Tobacco Free Network of Oswego County about this milestone. Vona’s was one of the first Oswego restaurants to go smoke-free, making the decision before New York even passed the Expanded Clean Indoor Air Act. The boys also had strong opinions on being exposed to smoke in restaurants.
“We wouldn’t want to go there to enjoy time with our family because it would hurt us or make our little sisters sick,” said Zachary.
A recent survey of bars and restaurants in Oswego County revealed that compliance with the law 10 years later is excellent. In fact, there was a 100 percent compliance rate at the time of the unannounced survey. Despite the success of this law and the countless lives that have been saved, smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and kills more than 25,000 New Yorkers every year.
The U.S. Surgeon General characterizes youth smoking as a pediatric epidemic, and states that the evidence is clear that tobacco marketing causes youth to start smoking, and most start before they reach the age of 18.
“Smoking is still a problem in Oswego County and New York state as whole, particularly among teens,” said Abby Jenkins, Program Coordinator of the Tobacco Free Network of Oswego County. “Zachary and Matthew have never known a time when smoking was allowed in restaurants. Maybe the next generation of 10 year olds will never know a time when they were inundated with tobacco marketing.”
For more information about efforts to reduce smoking and protect youth from tobacco marketing, visit www.tobaccofreenys.org.
http://valleynewsonline.com/blog/2013/07/27/law-banning-smoking-in-restaurants-turns-10/

Cities Struggle to Classify E-Cigs as They Grow in Popularity

By: Joy Lim Nakrin
A growing trend is taking hold in the Twin Cities: electronic cigarettes.
Minnesota’s recent tobacco tax hike seems to have given the business a boost. “Smokeless Smoking” opened its first store in 2009. Now, four years later there are four locations.
Since the new tobacco taxes took effect this month, sales spiked 50 percent, says co-owner Tim Koester. He explains, “Certainly our typical customers are former smokers or people who want to transition off traditional cigarettes.”
E-cigarettes contain vapor with nicotine, not tobacco. Since stores that sell them aren’t tobacco shops, some cities are struggling with how to classify them under city codes.
Though they sell nicotine, the stores are not tobacco shops. Though they feature lounges, they are not food and beverage establishments.
Bloomington City Councilwoman Karen Nordstrom says, “It seems very strange to have this under recreation, but its not going fit anywhere else.”
Smokeless Smoking plans to expand its Bloomington location, which opened in January.
Watch the American Cancer Society weigh in on the smokeless option by clicking here.
http://kstp.com/article/stories/s3110950.shtml

Letter to the Editor: North Dakota should take lesson from Minnesota on cigarette tax

Minnesota just raised its cigarette tax by $1.60 per pack, leaving me in envy of our neighbor’s efforts to help people quit smoking.
High cigarette prices and noticeable price hikes like Minnesota’s recent increase prevent young people from getting hooked and help current smokers to kick the habit. That’s good. One in three who try cigarettes get addicted and a majority of those who smoke want to quit. A high tobacco tax is an effective health policy; kudos to Minnesota’s elected leadership for recognizing that and investing in this prevention strategy.
By contrast, North Dakota ranks as one of the “best” states for cheap tobacco. North Dakota’s tobacco tax is outrageously low at a mere $0.44 per pack — the 46th lowest cigarette tax in the nation. Across the river, Minnesota’s cigarette tax is the sixth highest at $2.83 per pack. Is “cheap tobacco” the policy North Dakota wants for its children? From my perspective as a public health advocate and mom, no. North Dakota needs to take action to significantly increase the price of tobacco here. It’d be the first time since 1993.
I love North Dakota, but not the current price of our cigarettes. In addition to its tobacco tax, sometimes I also envy Minnesota for its trees — when the wind blows and we have few to stop it. But we’re proactive and plant trees for the immediate and long-term benefits they provide. For the same reasons, raise North Dakota’s tobacco tax — and the sooner the better.
Valerie Schoepf,
Bismarck
http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/event/article/id/70212/group/Opinion/
http://bismarcktribune.com/news/opinion/mailbag/envying-sister-state-s-high-tax/article_df913772-ee8a-11e2-ad6c-0019bb2963f4.html
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/406373/

Letter: NDQuits wins a commendation

By: Jessie Azure, West Fargo, INFORUM
I would like to commend those with NDQuits on finding a creative way to reach a “tobacco at risk community!”
Clearly, representatives from the North Dakota Policy Council need to sit down and read the 2007 Best Practices manual issued by the CDC on Tobacco Prevention and Control Policy before commenting. Maybe then they’d understand the importance of reaching target populations with education and support.
Their comments make me ask a far more important question: What if the parade had been for an organization raising awareness for mental health (as this is another community with a high rate of tobacco use)? Would Zach Tiggelaar still be compelled to question such actions? I bet he’d agree that we shouldn’t dismiss one community over another; rather, look to find ways to reach all of our citizens, just as the folks at NDQuits did. After all, as Rep. Josh Boschee, D-Fargo, reminds us, the cost of tobacco is far more staggering to treat than prevent.
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/406374/