Beverly Hills Proposes Laws Against E-cigarettes

Beverly Hills may be joining a small but growing list of U.S. regions where e-cigarettes are treated the same as the regular tobacco products.

In a preliminary ruling this morning, the Beverly Hills City Council has decided to submit e-cigarette use to the same restrictions standard cigarette smoking faces. These restrictions include being banned from indoor public areas, playgrounds, schools, parks, and recreational facilities. The electronic tobacco products also will be prohibited for sale to minors. This last restriction, while predictable, also results in the cessation e-cigarette sale in vending machines, where minors could have easy access to them.

A final vote on the new laws will occur next month, and if they pass, legislatures are expected to suggest even more restrictions, such a banning it from being smoked at parades or in front of ATMs.

Beverly Hills Vice Mayor Lili Bosse said in a statement on Thursday that these regulations are part of a goal to make Beverly Hills "one of the healthiest cities in the world."

However, with what we currently know about e-cigarettes, the new "smoking" devices appear perfectly safe. The small battery-run devices do not use heat and smoke like conventional cigarettes. Instead, e-cigarettes vaporize liquid nicotine, making the stimulant inhalable for the device's user. In-fact, e-cigarette users don't even call themselves "smokers," instead using the term "vapers" in reference to the supposedly safe vapors their devices emit. The vapor itself has been shown to have none of the negative heath side effects of inhaling smoke, such as tar buildup in the lungs, making second-hand smoke a thing of the past.

Still, the electronic cigarettes pose some health concern. As unregulated as e-cigarettes are now, some professionals worry that the devices will encourage a higher rate of intense nicotine addiction commonly only seen in the heaviest of chain smokers.

Beverly Hills is not alone is their actions against e-cigarettes either. Late last year Albany, N.Y. passed legislation banning the smoking of e-cigarettes in or around the premise of any state buildings.

If the Beverly Hills laws are passed, they will be put into effect on June 1.