A new bill proposed on Monday aims to ban the use of e-cigarettes in public places and intensify the reinforcement of preventing its sales to minors in California.
The bill, introduced by Democratic state Senator Mark Leno, will reclassify e-cigarettes as a tobacco product, which means smoking them in public places like workplaces, restaurants, bars and other establishments is prohibited. Once the bill is approved, sellers who allow minors to buy e-cigarettes will receive higher penalties.
"Whether you get people hooked on e-cigarettes or regular cigarettes, it's nicotine addiction and it kills," Senator Leno said in a telephone interview with Reuters. "We're going to see hundreds of thousands of family members and friends die from e-cigarette use just like we did from traditional tobacco use."
The proposed bill received mixed reactions from several groups. The American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association expressed their support, while a group called American Vaping Association opposed it, arguing that it will not be helpful to people who have relied on e-cigarettes to quit smoking regular cigarettes.
"There is no scientific evidence that justifies the California government treating smoke-free, tobacco-free, and often nicotine-free products the same as deadly combustible cigarettes," Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, told the Los Angeles Times.
"We are hopeful that California legislators will snuff out this unnecessary and potentially harmful bill."
Earlier studies have shown the harmful effects of e-cigarette use such as the increased risk of lung infection even if it doesn't have nicotine, and that U.S. teenagers are buying e-cigarettes more frequently.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is alarmed by the growing popularity of e-cigarettes among teenagers. The rate of high school students who have used e-cigarettes for the past 30 days climbed by 1.7 percent between 2012 and 2013, while first-time users also increased by two percent in the same period.
