Lawmaker says report shows need for action on e-cigarette bill
HARRISBURG — State Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, cited a report from the Centers for Disease Control as a call for quick legislative action on his bill to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors.
“There is still a lot we don’t know about the long-term use of electronic cigarettes,” Solobay said. “Growing use by minors is an alarming trend that must be stopped.”
The CDC announced Friday that use of e-cigarettes, battery-powered devices that deliver a smoke-like vapor containing nicotine and other chemicals, has doubled in one year among students in grades six to 12. The report said 160,000 teens who never smoked cigarettes used electronic cigarettes in 2012.
“It’s important that we move quickly to adapt our laws to address new trends in the consumer marketplace,” Solobay said. “Electronic cigarettes could help many adults quit using more harmful tobacco products, but they could also start teens down the road of smoking prior to becoming adults.”
Solobay said he introduced Senate Bill 1055 earlier this year when he realized that electronic cigarettes are not covered under Pennsylvania’s law that bans the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to minors.
The CDC said growing use of nicotine delivery systems among teens is troubling.
“Minors should not be able to get their hands on this product. It is important that we work to stop this trend immediately. My legislation intends to do just that.
Solobay’s bill is awaiting action in the Senate Judiciary Committee.