Senator
Gustavo Rivera introduced a bill in the State Senate that would tax
electronic cigarette cartridges as a tobacco product in an effort to
continue the pursuit of reducing New Yorker's exposure to nicotine and
other damaging chemicals. This bill has also been introduced in the
State Assembly by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.
"In
recent years, makers of electronic cigarettes have claimed they are a
'safer' alternative to cigarettes, but the simple truth is that these
devices still expose individuals to nicotine and hazardous chemicals,"
said Senator Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx)."Taxing electronic cigarette
cartridges at the same rate as other tobacco products will send a clear
message to the public that these products are not as safe as they are
advertised to be."
To
date, electronic cigarettes have not been sufficiently studied to allow
the U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine the
long-term health risks associated with their use, including the quantity
of nicotine or other harmful chemicals that users inhale. Furthermore,
there is no hard evidence to support the claim that electronic
cigarettes are an effective cessation tool.
There
is also a growing concern that electronic cigarettes can lead young
people to become cigarette smokers. According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), from 2011 to 2012 the number of students
in grades 6 -12 that reported ever having used an electronic cigarette
doubled from 3.3 percent to 6.8 percent.
While
the FDA has yet to determine how to regulate electronic cigarettes, New
York State along with other localities and states have moved forward
with legislation to address public health concerns caused by the
wide-spread use of these devices.
