Kentucky Smoking Ban Debate Continues

26 Comments

February 20, 2013

The debate over a public smoking ban currently moving through the various parts of the Kentucky government has begun to focus heavily on whether it should include electronic cigarettes. CASAA has issued a call to action. Republican representative Stan Lee filed an amendment to exempt electronic cigarettes from the proposed law.

An editorial in Lexington’s Herald-Leader speaks on the issue with such obvious bias and bile that one wonders how much of it was based on nothing more than an interview with on-going Kentucky-based e-cig adversary Ellen Hahn (who’s written for the paper before). All of it, we’d wager, unless she simply wrote the whole thing herself, that is.

The piece suggests that Representative Lee only filed the amendment to appease Big Tobacco. But we know something they don’t, nor did they bother to investigate. An Ecig Advanced employee was in direct contact with Lee, asking him to make the proposal (along with several other private citizens). The facts slide show we posted here grew from a document sent to Lee to encourage the change.

More could be said on this, but national-level e-cig advocate Bill Godshall already sent a rebuttal to the Herald-Leader. We encourage more to do the same. Check out Godshall’s remarks below.

“As a public health activist who has campaigned to ban smoking in workplaces for the past 25 years, I’m pleased that Herald-Leader editors have endorsed smokefree workplace legislation in Kentucky.

But your recent editorial was dead wrong in opposing Rep. Stan Lee’s critically important amendment to remove HB 190’s unwarranted and counterproductive ban on electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use.

Unlike combustible cigarettes, e-cigarettes emit no hazardous tobacco smoke and pose no risks to nonusers. As such, there is no public health rationale to ban e-cigarette use in workplaces or public places.

E-cigarette use has never complicated enforcement of smokefree workplace laws, which your editorial falsely asserted, as even morons can tell the difference between a burning cigarette and a smokefree e-cigarette.

In sharp contrast to other claims in your editorial, e-cigarettes pose no known health risks to users, but instead provide health benefits to smokers every time they use an e-cigarette instead of smoking.

Existing evidence indicates that e-cigarettes are >99 less hazardous than cigarettes, and have already helped millions of smokers quit and/or sharply reduce cigarette consumption.

Finally, Representative Lee’s amendment to remove e-cigarettes from HB 190 should be supported because the bill now falsely defines “smoking” as using a smokefree e-cigarette. Radically changing the definition of a word in a stealth attempt to ban the use of a lifesaving product is unethical and deceitful.”

Bill Godshall is executive director of Smokefree Pennsylvania.

Click here for our audio interview with Godshall

Comments

26 Responses to “Kentucky Smoking Ban Debate Continues”

Scott

Godshall for president imo

Twilla

I am in agreement with Godshall. I was an avid 3+ pack a day smoker on sleepless days. I am not on cigarettes any longer and neither is my husband. Between us we smoked anywhere from 3 to 4 cartons a week. We have been cigarette free for over 3 weeks now. I started at 13 and am now35.He started at 21and is 38 and has not touched a cigarette in well over 3 weeks now.
My mother now has a kit and is starting her ecig living tonight. Please do not take this away from us. So many could benefits of this product. I can taste my food and drinks and everything now. This is a god send!

mongrel

Well I wish Godshall could have used a better word than Moron.

But I hope this turns out well, and it’s good that Lee has proposed this amendment.

Ralph

hmmm.. kentucky….too close to the south probably its problem

slap_maxwell

I’m against any government-enforced smoke bans on property that does not belong to the government…and that goes double for e-cigarette use. In twenty-first century America, your property is no longer yours, and you no longer set the terms of its use without government permission.

Sad.

Holden

Chad

Awesome. I’ll finally be able to eat in Paducah without smelling ciggy smoke AND while vaping!

Karla Lyle (MsV8PR)

I agree 100% with Slap. The government should not be able to impose a ban on property that is not theirs. Next they will say we can’t smoke or vape in our cars and homes. Just more BS and I am sure just the beginning of what is coming.

saboinia

is der a petition 2 sgn kentucky is 2 close 2 home 4 my blood i am in va

Donald Hammond

Another useless ban.

Amanda

Too close for me as well, here in WV

Amanda

Thats some ole bs

Morrinb

ridiculous

Michelle

SAD

crystalT64

scary stuff

DemonFire

I agree about being too close. WV is home for me too. Let’s hope they don’t notice.

John "Shub" Fellhoelter

Ugh, let’s hope it ends well

roni

“a stealth attempt to ban the use of a lifesaving product is unethical and deceitful.”

truth.

Zane

WTF KY?

chuckss

This is just getting insane.

Johnathan Brown (Sepsis)

I also agree with slap. I don’t see why they should have a right to enforce a ban on ecigs period. It’s nicotine. Nuff said. Whether its healthy for us or not is none of their business.

imtheboss

too close. come on KY

watch the walking dead online season 3

But you always have to keep in mind that while all the chaos is going on Lori is pregnant. I’m still not sure if it’s Shane’s or Ricks baby. It might as well be Ricks because he is going crazy like Shane.

gaby

i want to live on kentucky because there live my uncle

flux83

crazy