State Health Officer Issues Health Advisory and New E-Cigarette Report; SFMS Policy on E-Cigarette Regulation January 29, 2015 Advocacy, CMA, Public Health electronic cigarettes, Ron Chapman, e-cigarettes, SB 140 0 California Department of Public Health (CDPH) director and state health officer Dr. Ron Chapman issued a Health Advisory and the “State Health Officer’s Report on E-Cigarettes: A Community Health Threat,” warning about the hazards of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). “E-cigarettes pose a serious risk to smokers and those exposed to the aerosol [produced by e-cigarette vaporizers],” said CDPH director Ron Chapman. Chapman said the department intends to increase public education and awareness efforts about the dangers of e-cigarettes. California voters passed Proposition 99 in 1988 that imposed a 25-cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes, some of which is earmarked for anti-tobacco advertising and education. Chapman said he expects to use part of that tax, which contributed $42 million in 2014 to anti-smoking campaigns, to e-cigarette public education. The public health warning comes a few days after a new law was proposed in the Legislature to hold e-cigarettes to the same regulations governing traditional cigarettes. SB 140 by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) would include a ban on e-cigarette smoking in workplaces, restaurants, and other public places, and it would increase penalties for selling e-cigarettes to minors. The San Francisco Medical Society applauds CDPH and Senator Mark Leno for seeking healthier regulation of electronic cigarettes. There are still many uncertainties about the health risks of these devices, but research is indicating that there are valid concerns regarding direct health impacts on users, addiction, and secondhand exposure, especially among young people. This is why SFMS and the California Medical Association now support regulations more in line with standard tobacco products. It is becoming clear there are many parallels with tobacco harms and industry practices, and we should to all we can do to prevent another widespread health disaster. The California Medical Association adopted this San Francisco Medical Society policy in December 2014: "Electronic Cigarettes: CMA supports a ban on the advertising of electronic cigarettes and other nicotine delivery devices not approved by the FDA as smoking cessation aids; and believes that e-cigarettes should be regulated, at the state and local level, consistent with tobacco products until such a time that they are approved by the FDA as smoking cessation aids; supports education of the public on the known and potential health impacts of electronic cigarettes and other nicotine delivery devices; and proposes that electronic cigarettes taxed to generate funds, which could be used for, but not be limited to 1) support for research into their efficacy as smoking cessation aids and their health impacts and 2) education on their known and potential health impacts." Comments are closed.
