Alabama Lawmakers Propose Ban on Vaping in Public Places
Alabama lawmakers are pushing to ban e-cigarettes and vapes from public places, similar to existing restrictions on cigarette smoking. House Bill 10, sponsored by state representative Barbara Drummond of Mobile, seeks to add electronic cigarettes to the list of items banned under the state’s 21-year-old Clean Air Act. If passed, Alabama could join a minority of states that have included e-cigarettes in their comprehensive smoking bans.
Concerns Over Public Health Risks and Youth Access
Drummond, who previously passed a bill in 2019 regulating the sales of vaping products and prohibiting sales to anyone under 19, emphasizes the need for early education about the potential risks associated with these products. She expresses concern about the unknown chemicals inside vaping devices and the public health risk they pose to those who choose not to smoke or be around it.
“We’ve got to look at this very broadly and look at those who don’t have a voice and who are not making a choice to use these products,” Drummond states. She also highlights the alarming statistic that nearly 20% of teenagers admitted to vaping in a Drug Watch study last year.
Bipartisan Support for Updating Clean Air Act
State senator Gerald Allen, who wrote the bill, has garnered support from both sides of the aisle. Democratic lawmakers, including Drummond and state senator Vivian Figures of Mobile, back the measure despite often finding themselves at odds with Allen on other public policy issues.
Figures, who played a crucial role in getting the Clean Air Act approved two decades ago, believes it’s a matter of fairness. “Why should they be able to smoke their things, but other people cannot smoke cigarettes (in public places),” she questions. “It’s like invading someone’s privacy and putting something not healthy out there for them to (breathe in) involuntarily.”
Anticipated Pushback from Vaping Industry
The legislation is likely to face opposition from the vaping industry, which has battled Drummond and Figures on bills in recent years that would regulate the industry. Gregroy Conley, director of legislative & external affairs with the American Vapor Manufacturers, argues that it would be a mistake for Alabama to redefine the word ‘smoking’ to include the use of smokefree vaping products.
“These products are a lifeline for many adult smokers in a state with one of the highest smoking rates in the country,” Conley states. “Absent evidence of harm to bystanders, it should be up to private business owners to decide whether to allow these products on their premises, not the nanny state.”
Concerns Over E-Cigarette Use and Health Effects
Alabama ranks high among states for e-cigarette use, with a Forbes analysis showing that the state ranked sixth highest for those who use e-cigarettes the most and was No. 1 among adults who reported vaping “some days.” The percentage of adults in Alabama who use e-cigarettes increased by 5.3 percentage points between 2016 and 2022, ranking No. 3 among all states.
Anti-tobacco groups support Allen’s efforts to strengthen the state’s smokefree law by including e-cigarettes. Virginia Guy, executive director of the Drug Education Council, notes that while studies on the effects of second-hand vaping are relatively new, there is ample research suggesting breathing and respiratory problems for people who don’t vape themselves but are around those who do. She also highlights that vapes containing aerosols include harmful materials and cancer-causing substances.
Moving Forward with Regulation
Alabama lawmakers have taken steps in recent years to crack down on e-cigarette use, including prohibiting smoking and vaping inside vehicles with children under 14 and raising the age to purchase tobacco products, including vaping devices and e-cigarettes, from 18 to 21.
In the absence of a statewide law, several cities in Alabama have adopted ordinances banning or restricting the use of e-cigarettes and other vaping products in public places. Allen plans to introduce his measure early in the upcoming spring legislative session, acknowledging the importance of educating the public about the potential long-term health effects of vaping.
News source:
Alabama lawmakers push to ban vaping in public places
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