A NJ Senator may want to watch his words after making stupid comment

Jan. 20, 2010 - PRLog -- Legislation recently signed into law by ousted New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine prohibits the use of "electronic cigarettes" where smoking isn't allowed. The new law, which will go into effect in approximately six months, is being praised by Sen. Joseph Vitale (D Middlesex) and Sen. Bob Gordon (D-Bergen), who sponsored the bill.

In a press release, Sen. Vitale said, "With all the overwhelming statistics on the hazards of smoking, the e-cigarette is nothing more than an attempt by the tobacco industry to reinvent itself as a healthier alternative."

The consumer advocacy group, National Vapers Club, responded that the tobacco industry has no connection whatsoever with the electronic cigarette. "The fact that Sen. Vitale is so ill-informed that he doesn't know even this much should be raising some red flags," said the group's president, Spike Babaian. "If the sponsors of the bill had been fully informed, we're certain they would not have introduced this legislation."

Electronic cigarettes have gained increasing popularity among smokers in recent years. The product, which comprises a battery and a heating element that vaporizes a liquid nicotine solution, does not produce smoke, odor, or a flame.

Sen. Bob Gordon (D-Bergen) stated, "This is yet another victory for public health. No matter how manufacturers attempt to market these devices, they are still cigarettes."

"No," says Babaian. "They are not cigarettes. They are marketed as 'cigarettes' because they're marketed to smokers, but the product is used as an inhaler to vaporize nicotine. There is no combustion with an e-cigarette, so there's no smoke--only vapor. Banning e-cigarettes from public indoor use makes about as much sense as banning the Nicotrol Inhaler. Surely the senators would not expect former smokers to go into a smoking area to use that."

Gordon went on to state: "In many ways, they may be more dangerous than traditional cigarettes because of their lack of oversight or any conclusive studies into their health effects."

Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor at Boston University of Public Health and a long-time proponent of smoking bans, responded today on his blog[http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/]: "By asserting that these products may be more dangerous than cigarettes, Gordon is actually telling the public that there is reason to believe that cigarette smoking is safer than vaping. Such an assertion is not only scientific hogwash, but it is irresponsible and amounts to what I would consider as public malpractice."

"This law is far from a victory for public health," Babaian said. "Hundreds of thousands of smokers who might have chosen what many experts believe to be a much healthier alternative--the electronic cigarette--now have one less reason to try it. The only victory here is for the tobacco companies."
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National Vapers Club is a consumer-based organization. We are run and sponsored by e-cigarette users, also called vapers, through local vapers clubs as well as anonymous online donations. We are not affiliated with or funded in any way by any one e-cigarette company. National Vapers Club is made up of a number of local and state groups around the country that educate the public on e-cigarettes (we prefer the term "nicotine vaporizers"). We speak publicly about the device and the liquid used in it. We present information to news media, as well as to local and state governments, to encourage responsible regulation of the product until the FDA can develop regulatory standards for the device.

www.SmokeItSmart.com

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