Senior officials and authorities has been inching towards becoming the first U.S. city to completely ban the sales of e-cigarettes, along with manufacturing and distributing them within city.
A preliminary vote saw the city’s supervisors unanimously approve a ban on e-cigarettes but the Food and Drug Administration has yet to review the appeal and check the effects if e-cigarettes on public health. The city’s Board of Supervisors have voted for two proposals to get approved: legislation that would ban the sale or delivery of e-cigarettes in San Francisco and a separate proposal that would prohibit the sale, manufacturing and distribution of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, on property owned or managed by the city.
The bill to ban the sale of e-cigarettes at stores in the city, as well as the delivery of e-cigarettes purchased online for delivery to San Francisco addresses, still requires final approval. If the bill is passed in this regard, it will take seven more months after it is signed by the mayor.
It is observed that e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among young people in the country. It means youth can easily buy a tobacco product that should not be within their access. All the concerned officials and authorities plan to gather to tackle the epidemic of e-cigarette use among under-age kids. It includes preventing their access to flavored e-juices and e-cigarettes and taking action against manufacturers and retailers who sell these products to minors.
On the contrary, e-cigarette manufacturers argue that vaping is a healthier alternative to smoking tobacco. Therefore, the prohibition of vaping items in San Francisco will not address the underage issues and will leave cigarettes as the only option for adult smokers, who were using vaping to quit cigarettes. Therefore, the American Vaping Association opposes San Francisco’s proposal to ban e-cigarettes, saying adult smokers deserve access to less hazardous alternatives.
Other countries in the United States that are working on or have already passed legislation to target vaping includes Aspen City, which has put a ban on flavoured e-cigarettes and related products.