Is Puffing E-Cigarettes In Adult-Only Places A Happy Medium?

Thad Marney fondly remembers the early days of electronic cigarettes.

The puzzled stares. The lighting up indoors. The utter lack of smoke. The difference between his nearly odorless puff of vapor and other smokers' toxic plumes.

He'd smoked tobacco cigarettes for 15 years, but the mechanical nicotine stick is, in his view, a far less harmful alternative, making it his favorite choice.

As it turns out, Pierce County health regulators might not see exactly the same distinction between cigarettes that smoke and those that fog.

Like many other municipalities across the country, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is taking action on the increasing use of electronic cigarettes -- something the wave of anti-smoking ordinances didn't account for.

But adopting a fair, enforceable regulation in cities like University Place, Tacoma and Lakewood is proving difficult.

Electronic cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat nicotine inserts into a vapor. Users inhale a specific dosage of nicotine or non-nicotine vapor,  a process known as "vaping." The sensation is similar to a tobacco cigarette because it delivers vaporized nicotine to the user.

But it does not produce smoke.  The exhaled vapor smells like dry ice.

Proponents say the use of e-cigarettes is less damaging to the body and to nearby people. They argue that regulating them as tobacco misses the point. But because it is relatively new  -- it was invented in China in 2003 -- there are not adequate scientific studies showing the long-term effects of vaping.

According to the Electronic Cigarette Association, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to regulate vaping, making it difficult for municipalities to figure out what to do.

The Pierce County Board of Health faces the same problem. Nevertheless, the board plans to adopt a new e-cigarette regulation on June 1.

In its current form, regulations would limit electronic cigarettes to adult-only places like bars. The e-cigarettes  would be banned from restaurants and other areas where the age range varies -- similar to tobacco cigarettes.

But there is a distinction: In Pierce County, e-cigarettes would be allowed in 21-and-over bars.  Early this week, health board members decided -- over the objections of anti-smoking advocates -- that there is not enough proven data to regulate electronic cigarettes in the same way as tobacco products.  

"It would be much easier (for the board) if the FDA was doing its job by saying yes it's great or no it's not," said board member Pat Johnson.

Pierce County Councilman and board member Dick Muri said it's a more preferable fad than smoking tobacco products but there is no quality control coming from the FDA. "I'd be tickled pink to see people vaping than smoking," Muri said. "But I want to see it prohibited from children."

The Pierce County regulations run  slightly counter to  the regional trend. The King County Health Department on Jan. 15 decided to regulate e-cigarettes in the same way as tobacco. Spokane County officials adopted a resolution urging  local jurisdictions to adopt e-cigarette regulations identical those regulating tobacco cigarettes.

Even though the proposed Pierce County  regulations are more lax than nearby King County, e-cigarette users were outraged at the new restrictions. More than 25 users showed up at Monday's board meeting including Mark Coy who said regulations should be based on facts.

"Facts should be the binding arbitration," said Mark Coy said.

Marney said people should have the ability to have a smoke-free opportunity, adding the proposed regulation is demonizing nicotine.

"There's no reason to include it in the smoke ban," he said.