A bill prohibiting the use of electronic cigarettes anywhere smoking traditional cigarettes is banned moved ahead Wednesday to its final vote, after attempts to first amend, then delay, the measure were batted away by a County Council majority.
The council voted 6-2 to approve Bill 302 on first reading. Voting no were Hilo Councilman Dennis “Fresh” Onishi and Puna Councilman Greggor Ilagan. The bill goes to second reading sometime next month.
Onishi wanted to temper the bill by banning e-cigarettes only in enclosed and partially enclosed structures owned or leased by the county government. He questioned why the bill also bans e-cigarette use at beaches and parks when the original intent of the smoking ban in those areas was to rid the land of butts.
“It’s not to me like a regular cigarette, where you have that burning smoke,” Onishi said.
Council Chairman J Yoshimoto disagreed.
“If it’s bad indoors, it’s bad outdoors,” Yoshimoto said.
“It guts the whole bill,” added South Kona/Ka‘u Councilwoman Brenda Ford.
Ford said she’s read a number of scientific studies that indicate smoking e-cigarettes is unhealthy for both the user and those nearby.
But Ilagan urged the council to postpone a first reading vote until the Dec. 17 meeting, the first council business meeting with the newly elected council members. That would give him time to attend a webcast of a Dec. 10 U.S. Food and Drug Administration workshop on e-cigarettes and the public health. The all-day workshop will feature scientific researchers who will discuss current knowledge, he said.
“I’m still not sure. Maybe with everything you’ve learned, you’re already sure and I respect that,” Ilagan said. “Please allow me to get more information. I’m still learning.”
The council refused the request.
The votes followed impassioned testimony from both sides of the issue, from an asthma sufferer who said e-cigarettes harm her health even outdoors, and e-cigarette users who said using the devices, known as “vaping,” has enabled them to kick long-term smoking habits.