New York laws are coming down hard on minors who purchase e-cigarettes: the smokeless, tobaccoless, electronic cigarettes. Wait, no smoke? No tobacco? Well, what’s the harm then? The answer is nicotine.
Although e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, they still contain the same levels of nicotine, which make them just as addicting. The new law passed after the new year with a few hundred gas stations already abiding by the rules. However, in order to understand the ban on e-cigarettes in New York, it’s important to learn the history of the smoking ban in New York legislative history.
In 1995, California was the first state to pass a law that banned indoor smoking. New York didn’t enact their statewide ban until 2003. The New York law bans indoor smoking at all restaurants, bars, and commercial properties. However, the law does make a few exceptions, which include: hotel rooms, private homes/automobiles, private clubs, cigar bars, and retail tobacco businesses.
In 2011, New York law went so far as to ban smoking from all public beaches, parks, boardwalks, swimming pools, pedestrian plazas, and outdoor recreational centers. As health problems become even more directly correlated to cigarette smoke, expect even more harsh bans statewide and nationwide.