Passaic (NJ) Council proposal would ban outdoor smoking & e-cig use at parks & within 35 feet of building entrances

[Bill Godshall]

Update: Passaic council introduces ordinance to ban smoking in city buildings, parks - NorthJersey.com

The campaign is being promoted statewide by a non-profit known as Global Advisors on Smokefree Policy.
The organization’s executive director, Karen Blumenfeld, attended the meeting to urge the council to adopt the measure. She said the campaign to ban smoking in public parks makes sense because second-hand smoke is so dangerous.

The bill also prohibits smoking at all parks and recreation facilities, including basketball courts and playgrounds. The ordinance prohibits either the “exhalation or inhalation” of smoke or “vapor” from cigarettes, cigars, pipes or “electronic smoking devices.” The ban extends to all driveways and parking areas that serve parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities.

A public hearing will be held on the bill on June 26, after which the City Council will vote on the ordinance.

 

[the_vape_nerd]

Hopefully we have someone in that locality who can show up at the meeting prepared.

 

[asha23]

Aarrrrggghhhhh! Who is coming up with this utter ignorant nonsense?

Do we have the email address of this Karen Blumenfeld?

Edit - It seems we do... Google: Karen Blumenfeld global advisors on smokefree

And you'll see it (I'm not sure if it's OK to post email addresses on here) - Please let me know??

 

[Placebo Effect]

Aarrrrggghhhhh! Who is coming up with this utter ignorant nonsense? Do we have the email address of this Karen Blumenfeld? Edit - It seems we do... Google: Karen Blumenfeld global advisors on smokefree And you'll see it (I'm not sure if it's OK to post email addresses on here) - Please let me know??

Please do not waste your time e-mailing Ms. Blumenfeld. Karen Blumenfeld cannot be reasoned with. She was on the e-cigarette prohibition train from the moment the product got attention, and her group is the sole reason why New Jersey became the first state to ban e-cigarette use in all places where smoking banned under state law. As I recall, she even pushed an inane argument that even without a law banning their use, e-cigarette use was still banned under New Jersey law because some e-cigarette vendors were advertising their product as a "new way to smoke."

The people to contact are the members of the Passaic City Council

Passaic Mayor Dr Alex D. Blanco mayor@cityofpassaicnj.gov
City Council President Gary Schaer gschaer@cityofpassaicnj.gov
City Council Jose Garcia jgarcia@cityofpassaicnj.gov
City Council Terrence L. Love tlove@cityofpassaicnj.gov
Councilman Hector C. Lora hlora@cityofpassaicnj.gov
Councilwoman Zaida Polanco zpolanco@cityofpassaicnj.gov
City Council Chaim M. Munk cmunk@cityofpassaicnj.gov
City Council Daniel J. Schwartz dschwartz@cityofpassaicnj.gov

mayor@cityofpassaicnj.gov, gschaer@cityofpassaicnj.gov, jgarcia@cityofpassaicnj.gov, tlove@cityofpassaicnj.gov, hlora@cityofpassaicnj.gov, zpolanco@cityofpassaicnj.gov, cmunk@cityofpassaicnj.gov, dschwartz@cityofpassaicnj.gov

 

[asha23]

Sometimes I'm really glad to not be living in America. Don't get me wrong, I love America, I love Americans. My auntie and uncle live in Portland and are Americans through and through - everyone I have yet met personally from the States is brilliant. So the following is not anti-American at all, so please don't get me wrong.

Maybe it's just me, but here in the UK we don't seem to have the same level of blind, dogged, borderline insane people with deliberate, belligerent ignorance to cold hard facts that a great many of these anti-everything campaigns in the US seem to attract. In the UK they'd not be listened to, they simply would be seen as eccentric maniacs and not trusted.

Anyone with a "God hates queers" placard would be soon arrested, at best, if the police got there first. That sort of thing is just not tolerated here (yet). Doing a bit of research online into this Blumenfeld character she's a real piece of work. Why are councils listening to her? Why is ANYONE listening to her? Is she rich or something, does she grease the wheels with a fat wad of cash?

OK.. We did have Mary Whitehouse in the UK.. She was bonkers. She's long dead now. Thank the lord. There is a loony fringe here still. They just don't tend to be taken at all seriously without cold hard facts in front of them for the most part.

 

[Vocalek]

I love your description of the ANTZ ("blind, dogged, borderline insane...") You have nailed it.

The Z in ANTZ stands for Zealot. First definition:

A person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.

 

[asha23]

I didn't know it was a waste of time when I sent it. I do now, But here's what I sent Blumenfield anyway, in case anyone is interested:

Dear Karen,

I am mailing you because I am genuinely concerned about one or two recent developments in your campaign for a smoke-free policy. Namely the inclusion of Electronic Cigarettes in the following motion:

Update: Passaic council introduces ordinance to ban smoking in city buildings, parks - NorthJersey.com

I feel that you are perhaps a little mis-informed about the dangers of second-hand smoking in relation to Electronic Cigarettes. Vapourising nicotine has not been proven to contribute at all to the risk to health from second-hand smoke. The "smoke" that is exhaled from vapourising nicotine has been shown to contain only negligible, trace levels of carcinogens (perhaps comparable with eating a nice juicy steak) - Over 1000 times less than that of a cigarette. Many doctors agree that this is not a risk to health. Nicotine itself is not a carcinogen and as the vapour from electronic cigarettes disperses around 80 times faster (to water vapour) in the air, there are no proven links between the exhalation of nicotine vapour and cancer caused by passive smoking.

I would urge you to conduct some further research into the risks associated with vapourising nicotine. It has been of great benefit to over 2 million people in the US alone as a method of quitting smoking and can in many cases be seen as a way of prolonging life for millions more smokers who will adopt the system in the coming months.

I think your policy on smoke-free is rather naive. I fully agree with you that minimising the risks of passive smoking from conventional cigarettes should be a high priority. However, adding electronic cigarettes to this policy is extremely misguided.

I would ask you to cite your research into why you feel that Electronic Cigarettes are of equal risk to health as conventional cigarettes? It has been proven that they are not. Not even close.

I would also urge you to take a look at the Electronic Cigarette forum for a wealth of well-researched documentation on the use of Electronic Cigarettes in your country. As well as links to all the relevant information you will require to form a well-balanced and reasonable opinion on the topic, before you ignorantly lump Electronic Cigarettes in with conventional cigarettes and make a grave mistake.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com

Kind regards

Ash Whiting

 

[DC2]

Sometimes what they are doing in New Jersey makes me want to flush the state right down the toilet.

Then I think maybe if we just flush this Blumenfeld thing down the toilet, that would be enough.
My only concern would be that she might contaminate the water supply.

And if she is reading this, she is probably really proud she has made us evil vapers so angry.

Because, yeah, that's the kind of person she seems to be.
Ignorant, and proud of it.

 

[Bill Godshall]

Asha23 wrote:

Maybe it's just me, but here in the UK we don't seem to have the same level of blind, dogged, borderline insane people with deliberate, belligerent ignorance to cold hard facts that a great many of these anti-everything campaigns in the US seem to attract. In the UK they'd not be listened to, they simply would be seen as eccentric maniacs and not trusted.

Except that UK reps supported the EU snus ban and have opposed efforts to repeal it. And if the FDA had succeeded in banning e-cig sales in the US, the MHRA would have likely done the same in England.

And just several weeks ago, NHS Fife prohibitionists banned the use of e-cigarettes (but not cell phones, laptops or other battery operated devices) in hospitals and clinics by claiming products pose fire hazard, claiming smokefree e-cigarette vapor could set off smoke alarms, claiming no evidence of safety or effectiveness for helping smokers quit.
The Courier - NHS Fife bans e-cigarettes on safety grounds

 

[kristin]

Maybe it's just me, but here in the UK we don't seem to have the same level of blind, dogged, borderline insane people with deliberate, belligerent ignorance to cold hard facts that a great many of these anti-everything campaigns in the US seem to attract. In the UK they'd not be listened to, they simply would be seen as eccentric maniacs and not trusted.

Bill pretty much covered what I was going to say. You may want to look a little closer at what is going on with tobacco prohibition over there. I can recommend a couple of good blogs (written by fellow Brits) to get you started on the UK nanny state:
http://dickpuddlecote.blogspot.com/
http://velvetgloveironfist.blogspot.com/