Joining cities like New York and Chicago in the fight against tobacco use, the Los Angeles City Council has voted in favour of banning the use of electronic cigarettes in workplaces, restaurants and many public areas.
The move is seen as a big threat to the growth of an industry segment that reached USD 1.5 billion in sales in 2013.
Los Angeles is the second-most-populous U.S. city.
The Los Angeles City council voted 14-0 to approve the measure to check e-cigarette use in the city. If Mayor Eric Garcetti signs the legislation, the ban would take effect a month later.
“The mayor will sign the measure,” said Garcetti spokesman Jeff Millman.
How far your E-cigarettes safe?
Electronic cigarettes that are considered as a good way to quit smoking or a better and healthy alternative to traditional cigarettes, are raising concerns among the researchers as they are finding health woes related to it.
How far these e-cigarettes healthy is a matter that needs to be addressed. There’s a little research on how safe they are and their efficiency on kicking the smoking habit is also doubtable.
A survey says more people are giving e-cigarettes a try every day. About one in five adult cigarette smokers in the US had tried electronic cigarettes in 2011, nearly twice as many as in 2010. Sales reached nearly USD 500 million in 2012 and are expected to double to USD 1 billion this year. An estimated 43.8 million people, or 19 percent of adults, in the United States smoke cigarettes.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., accounting for more than 440,000 deaths annually.
About 6% of all US adults and 21% of adult smokers said they tried them in 2011, double the 2010 rate, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC also found six in 10 were aware of them in 2011, up from four in 10 a year earlier.
What is E-Cigarette?
Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes are a smoke-free alternative to the traditional paper cigarette. It is comprised of a liquid cartridge attached to a white cylinder containing a battery. The liquid is a mixture of propylene glycol (a common chemical used in many in food products), vegetable glycerin, flavoring and nicotine. The battery heats the liquid into a vapor that the user inhales. Instead of the tradition term ‘smoking’, having e-cigarettes is called “vaping.”
E- cigarettes range from around USD 10 to as much as USD 70 depending upon the manufacturers. Although prices of the complete set of electronic cigarettes vary, pre-filled liquid cartridges usually cost a few dollars. These cartridges usually last about as long as a pack of regular cigarettes. Flavoured e-liquid are also available for the vaping lovers at a price ranging from a few dollars to more than USD 10 depending on size.
