A bill approved by state lawmakers shortly before they adjourned late Tuesday night will regulate the state’s growing vaping and e-cigarette industry.
The industry currently operates without much oversight, said Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, who was a proponent of the measure. The measure, Senate Bill 6328, would create a licensing system through the state Liquor and Cannabis Board for vapor distributors.
Additionally, it would require the products to be labeled with safety warnings of possible harmful health effects, and those selling vaping products would need to provide the state with information regarding nicotine amounts in their products. The bill also would prohibit the use of vapor products near places where children congregate, such as schools.
Once the measure is signed into law, “a school bus driver couldn’t vape” while working, Harris said.
Noe Baker, with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said the network is pleased that the measure requires the products be sold in secure displays, so younger people are less likely to grab them off the shelf.
“The thing is that 23 percent of Washington teens are using e-cigarettes, which is crazy,” Baker said. “And they aren’t really regulated.”
There has been some patchwork of regulations at the county level. In Clark County, for example, the county passed an ordinance that took effect in June prohibiting the use of vaping anywhere smoking is banned, making an exception for specialty vape shops.
Matthew Green, with the state’s Department of Health, said there is only one state law on the books regarding vapor products: it is a misdemeanor to sell them to people under the age of 18. But because vaping shops aren’t currently licensed, enforcing the law has proved difficult.
Vaping is a relatively new phenomenon, Green said, with the state first paying attention to the product in 2012, and there are still many unknowns.
“One of the issues is we don’t know what the vaping industry puts in them,” Green said.
Harris said he’s also worried about the contents of the products being sold.
“What do small amounts of formaldehyde and butane and other things do to your lungs in the soft tissue?” Harris said.
Some proponents of vaping point out it’s helped them quit smoking. But Green doesn’t believe it’s been an effective alternative.
“A key point that gets missed is that the increase in using vapor products is not being offset in a drop of cigarette use,” he said. “It’s not a replacement, it’s an addition. There is still a lot to learn about the health effects of e-cigarettes.”
The governor backed a similar measure and was part of the negotiations on the bill. He is expected to sign the measure into law.
Harris said he’s hoping more will be done next year to curb the popularity of vaping, including taxing the product.
