E-cigs being evicted

0
Photo Illustration by
J.D. Pooley

Electronic cigarettes, a popular alternative to tobacco, will soon be barred from Wood County buildings
and grounds.
Commissioners reviewed anticipated changes to the county’s employee handbook on Tuesday, and among them
is a suggestion that the county’s smoking and tobacco policy be equally applied to vapors and electronic
cigarettes.
The current no-smoking policy prohibits smoking in and around all county facilities and requires
employees who smoke to go across the street to do so. Employees are also not allowed to smoke while on
the clock or in county vehicles.
County Administrator Andrew Kalmar said the policy against electronic cigarettes is a "natural
extension" of those already on the books.
"Just because it is a vapor doesn’t mean it doesn’t send off any scent or anything similar to a
cigarette," he said.
Kalmar said he was not aware of any reports of people using electronic cigarettes inside county
buildings.
The devices were also barred from the Wood County Educational Service Center and its community learning
centers.
Electronic cigarettes are smokeless devices that use battery-powered heat to produce and deliver a
flavored vapor that often contains nicotine. They are frequently marketed as a better alternative to
smoking because they do not burn tobacco, as they do not come with the tar and odor of cigarettes, nor
do they deliver as many chemicals.
Some smokers say they have been able to give up cigarettes only by using electronic cigarettes, or
e-cigs. Sales were estimated at nearly $2 billion in 2013, according to the Associated Press.
Scientific research on the devices has been so far incomplete and inconclusive. Regulations on
e-cigarettes have been proposed by the Food and Drug Administration, including warning labels,
manufacturing oversight and a ban on selling the products to minors. Ohio passed a law prohibiting their
sale to those younger than 18 years old.
Jordan Salkil of Revolver, an electronic cigarette business in Perrysburg, said the business doesn’t make
any claims of safety.
"We don’t promote that it’s better for you than cigarettes," he said. "We let our
customers know that this is a better alternative. We don’t market towards (safety.)"
Salkil said electronic cigarettes have helped him quit cigarettes after 10 years of smoking two packs per
day.
"I haven’t had a cigarette in more than two years."
Salkil recalled an older customer who smoked her entire life but hasn’t had a cigarette in three years
since switching to vapor. He said she got a vote of confidence from her doctor, who said her lung
function had improved.
Salkil favors restrictions in some areas, but he said they should be allowed in other places such as bars
and casinos.
He said Revolver supports regulations proposed by the Food and Drug Administration,
"We agree with everything the FDA is saying. We stand behind them as a company, 100 percent."

Another uncertainty is whether the use of electronic cigarettes applies to Ohio’s smoke-free workplace
regulations, said Pamela Butler, Wood County Health Commissioner.
"If it does, we will enforce it," she said.

No posts to display