AJC reports that Roswell City Council has banned e-cigarettes in parks

The city joins a growing list of states and cities that have banned the sale or public use of electronic cigarettes. Some 46 states have passed laws banning e-cigarette sales to minors and twelve of them have also passed laws requiring child-proof packaging for e-liquids and e-cigarettes, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

While some see e-cigarettes as an alternative to tobacco cigarettes that might help smokers young and old quit, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other groups believe their growing use among that group is a troubling sign. Findings in the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey by the CDC show that e-cigarette use (use on at least 1 day in the past 30 days) tripled among middle school and high school students between 2013 and 2014.

Additionally, Reuters recently reported that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has concluded that e-cigarettes come with too many unknowns to determine whether they are safe or effective for helping with smoking cessation and has refrained from recommending them to current smokers looking to kick the habit.

The Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness Partnerships to Improve Community Health (PICH) Program is working with community partners including the Smoke Free Coalition of Fulton County, Georgia Department of Public Health’s Georgia Tobacco Use  Prevention Program and the American Lung Association in Georgia to develop strategies and implement programs to prevent and reduce tobacco use as well as exposure to second-hand smoke among County residents. The PICH Program is made possible by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under cooperative agreement #IU58 DP005568-01.  For more information, please email us at pich.grant@fultoncountyga.gov.