New York state banned vaping at public indoor spaces in a bill signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday.
Electronic cigarettes or e-cigs were made part of the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act by the State Assembly, and the Senate approved the measure as well, The New York Times reported. The bill bans vaping at all the places regular cigarettes are already banned, like restaurants, bars and workplaces.
The original 2003 act was one of the first in the country, The New York Times reported. E-cigs have become a $2.5 billion industry according to the Centers for Disease Control because they are viewed as safer than traditional cigarettes, although their health effects are not yet known because of the newness of the product.
The ban will go into effect in 30 days. Vaping in public indoor spaces was prohibited in New York City four years ago, according to Fortune. New York state is the 11th to ban public vaping at the state level.
Several other major cities including Boston, New Orleans, and Chicago have also banned the practice, Fortune reported. Still vaping’s popularity continues to grow, and it is expected to reach sales of $32 billion worldwide by 2021.
The FDA has treated vaping products the same as regular cigarettes and forced manufacturers to get FDA approval to market the products, Fortune reported. The United States surgeon general said in 2016 that vaping is “not harmless” because it contains nicotine, which can be addictive, as well as heavy metals and other tiny particles that can be harmful when inhaled.
Twitter had decidedly mixed opinions about vaping and New York’s ban.
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