Ind. Attorney General Pushing "Vaping" Bill

Wednesday, January 7, 2015 at 6:28 AM

By Mike Perleberg

Electronic cigarettes are the target of legislation to be introduced in the Indiana legislature. (Indianapolis, Ind.) – “Vape” shops are targeted in new legislation lawmakers plan to file in the 2015 session of the Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller says electronic cigarettes need to be regulated for a number of reasons, but primarily to curb the increasing number of young people who are resorting to them. For the first time ever, more teens smoked e-cigarettes than traditional cigarettes in 2014, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Sixteen percent of high school students reported regular use of the electronic nicotine product last year. The proposal, according to a news release from Zoeller’s office, would require shops that sell e-cigarettes to be licensed with the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. The containers containing the liquid for e-cigs would have to be sold in child-resistant packaging to avoid accidental poisoning. The legislation also seeks to tax e-cigarettes similar to traditional tobacco products. Vaping would also be included in Indiana’s statewide smoking ban. SHOULD VAPING AND VAPE SHOPS BE SUBJECT TO TIGHTER RESTRICTIONS? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON EAGLE 99.3'S FACEBOOK PAGE. “E-cigarettes have emerged as the latest drug-delivery device, and I only expect their use among teens to rise as users experiment with ‘vaping’ other dangerous or illegal substances,” Zoeller said. “These products can be cheap, easy to get and effectively disguise drug use because ‘vaping’ produces no smoke or smell. My goal is to get ahead of the curve unlike what happened with traditional tobacco products, and implement tools to reduce access to youth before we see more kids addicted to nicotine.” As co-chair of the National Association of Attorneys General Tobacco Committee, Zoeller has called on the federal government to better regulate e-cigarettes. The bi-partisan bill is authored by state representatives Ed Clere (R-New Albany) and Charlie Brown (D-Gary). State Senator Patricia Miller (R-Indianapolis) has signed on as the proposal’s sponsor in the Senate. “Just because e-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco doesn’t mean they are not harmful. The vaporized liquid nicotine is still highly addictive,” said Brown. Brown also referenced a New York Times article which stated that the e-cigarette industry in Shenzhen, China, where 90 percent of the e-cigarettes are manufactured, has serious problems with quality control. That’s raised concerns that vapers are inhaling metals and carcinogens. Electronic cigarettes have also been used to inhale liquid THC, the active chemical in marijuana, along with synthetic drugs. The “vape” shop bill has received support from health groups including Tobacco Free Indiana, the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Indiana, Mental Health America Indiana, the American Association of Pediatrics and the IU Poison Center.