HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 09-15 Ramsey County looks to ban indoor vaping MAPLEWOOD REVIEW3/10/2016 Ramsey County looks to ban indoor vaping I Lillie Suburban Newspapers - LillieNews.com
Ramsey County looks to ban
indoor vaping
Submitted by admin1 on Tue, 09/15/2015 - 6:17am
By: Mike Munzenrider
Ordinance would include e -cigarettes with Minnesota Clean
IndoorAir Act
Atthe recent Ramsey County Board public hearing on an ordinance thatwould ban the indoor use ofe-cigarettes in the
county where smoking is already prohibited, speakers were 8-0 in favor of the ban.
The Sept. 8 board meeting was the second reading of the draft ordinance that would group e -cigarettes, the use of which is
commonly called vaping, with other smoked tobacco products that are regulated under the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act.
As stated in the draft ordinance, in Ramsey County, "The use of any electronic delivery device is prohibited anywhere
smoking is prohibited" by MCIAA.
This includes bars, restaurants and private clubs; office and industrial workplaces; retail stores; common areas of rental
apartment buildings, hotels and motels; public transportation, educational facilities, arenas and health care facilities.
Additionally, the ordinance would prohibit smoking or using an e -cigarette within 25 -feet of a building entrance, open window
or ventilation intake.
The county board unanimously voted to waive the second reading, moving it forward for final action to take place at the Sept.
22 board meeting.
Kids and doctors agree
Those speaking in favor of the ordinance included students, community activists, elected officials and doctors.
An eighth -grader from Maplewood who recorded a video message for the board, said that smoking had ruined her uncle's
life. When it comes to e -cigarettes, she said, their flavorings make them attractive to kids her age, and the lack of restrictions
on their use allow people to use them anywhere.
"This becomes a problem when someone smokes [an e -cigarette] inside a church during an elementary play," she said,
adding that it was something she'd seen firsthand.
Damone Presley, a St. Paul resident and the director of the Frogtown Rondo Action Network, said he was in favor of the
ordinance, especially because of the 25 -foot setback on smoking near building entrances.
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Presley said he'd recently quit smoking —"one ofthe hardestthings I've ever done"— and having to walk through clouds of
smoke and clumps of smokers to enter a building, he said, tempted him to smoke.
Maplewood Mayor Nora Slawik told the board about how her city had recently put in place it's own round of new, stricter
restrictions on tobacco and e -cigarettes, and said the county moving decisively was welcomed.
"Maplewood, along with other Ramsey County cities, would be happy to see the county take action first," Slawik said. The
draft ordinance states cities may enact stricter rules than the county puts in place.
Dr. Thomas Kottke, a cardiologist and chair of the county's Community Health Services Advisory Committee, said e -cigarettes
contain nicotine and heavy metals as well as chemical flavorings that can damage peoples' lungs so severely as to require
lung transplants.
Kottke said vaping in public forced non-users to face involuntary risks.
"Whether e -cigarettes help people quit smoking is irrelevant to this discussion," he said, a fact often cited by e -cigarette
supporters.
Up in vapor
The county board directed the Public Health Departmentto draft an ordinance banning indoor vaping following a March 10
board workshop, where the board looked at current science and policy information regarding the issue.
Board Chair and District 6 Commissioner Jim McDonough said the board was still seeking feedback on the proposed e -
cigarette ban up until its next planned action on the issue Sept. 22.
Per county materials, the soonest the vaping ban could go into effect is early December, 60 days after the ordinance's
publication.
Hennepin County enacted a similar ban on e -cigarettes that piggybacked MCIAA in February, with Minneapolis already
having done so in December 2014. St. Anthony Village banned indoor vaping in the city in September of last year
Violation of the Ramsey County ordinance would be a petty misdemeanor, which does not constitute a crime. The most strict
penalty that could be imposed is a fine of no more than $300, and the ordinance would be enforced on a complaint basis.
Mike Munzenrider can be reached atmmunzenriderla7lillienews.com or 651-748-7813. Follow him on
Twitter (cDmmunzenrider.
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