New York City Council Considers Restricting E-Cigarettes Indoors

Smoking areas could be cloudy with both puffs of smoke and e-cigarette vapor in New York City one day soon.
The New York City Council held a hearing on Wednesday to discuss a bill that would restrict e-cigarette use to outdoor zones in the same way smoking is regulated.
E-cigarettes, an industry that is on pace to rake in $1.7 billion this year and has moved from niche to mainstream in a matter of years, are replacements for tobacco cigarettes. They do not burn anything or release smoke, but instead give off a vapor that comes from a heated tube of liquid inside each electronic device. Nicotine is a part of that liquid, and the idea is that e-cigarettes can give users a buzz without the added carcinogens.
Some city council members, such as James Gennaro, one of the bill's main sponsors, want to see the proposed restrictions enacted by the end of the year. The hearing left the floor open for all arguments for and against the proposal.
Those in favor of restricting e-cigarette use attacked the device. New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said the proliferation of e-cigarettes could cause nightmares for bar owners and restaurant managers who must enforce smoking restrictions already in place. Farley added that cigarettes and their electronic counterparts often look similar, and both release puffs of gray-white gas into the air.
"I don't think we want to go back to a situation where bars are filled with smoke," Farley testified.
Most e-cigarette users in the room agreed with Farley's comment on bars, but in no way believed it would be difficult to differentiate between an e-cigarette and a conventional one. When Farley raised this issue, dozens of e-cigarette users in the seats facing the council held up their devices, many of which were silver and either longer or fatter than a conventional cigarette.