VAPING ORDINANCE - Most local and state smoke free laws were enacted before e-cigarettes and vaporizers were on the market. Now there are concerns about the health impact e-cigs and vaping have on public health. The city of Nacogdoches is joining the ranks of cities across Texas that are restricting where someone can vape or use an e-cig. Red River Radio’s Wynter Chauvin has more on this story.
Last Tuesday evening, the Nacogdoches, Texas City Council voted to restrict the use of e-cigarettes and vaping in public places in the city of Nacogdoches. In 2008, the Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition worked with the city to pass an ordinance to restrict smoking in public or designated enclosed spaces such as restaurants, bars and stores. The Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition felt it was time to include e-cigarettes and vaping in the ordinance. Kim Barton, Director of the Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition explains:
“Because electronic cigarettes contain nicotine they are considered a tobacco product.," explained Barton. "And so we went back [to the city council], it’s kind of a house keeping issue, to just go back and ask the city to consider to include that, since it wasn’t included in the original city ordinance, to go ahead and include electronic cigarettes.“
The restrictions on e-cigarettes and vaping in Nacogdoches were effective immediately since the ordinance was already in place and the definition of smoking was simply expanded.
