One on One: Tempe, following its tradition, bans e-cigarettes in public places. Was it the right thing to do?
Tempe is the first city in Arizona, and among the first in the nation, to ban electronic cigarettes in public places.
The action fits the city's history. It lead the state in banning cigarettes in restaurants, bars and other public places.
The public health issues were clear then. They're not so clear with e-cigarettes, battery-powered devices that release vapor with less nicotine and other chemicals than tobacco cigarettes. There is no conclusive medical research on how they affect users and those nearby.
But critics say they could produce a new generation of smokers. They see no reason to take a chance on the potential health risks.
So did Tempe act responsibly or get ahead of itself?
Digital opinions editor Joanna Allhands and editorial writer Linda Valdez debate the issue.
Allhands: Tempe jumped the gun on banning e-cigarettes. I may not like the things, but the science isn't fully clear on what, if any, health risks they pose. Absent a strong public-health argument, it just doesn't sit well with me to tell businesses what they can and can't do inside their doors.
Valdez: As the person who might be sitting at the next table, I have nothing but appreciation for the City of Tempe's move to ban e-cigarettes in restaurants, bars, etc. I remember when smoke and smokers dominated every public place. It wasn't just unhealthy – it was a smelly invasion of my personal space.
Allhands: Don't get me wrong: I love Tempe's (and now, Arizona's) smoking ban. But by the time it was imposed, we had decades of clear research about the dangers of secondhand smoke.
We simply don't have that evidence with secondhand e-cig vapor. We're making policy based on what we think might be the outcome, which just seems heavy-handed to me.
Valdez: True, few studies have looked at how toxic the vapors are. Yet scientists aren't calling e-cigs safe, either. I'd rather err on the side of caution before e-cigs become ubiquitous. One thing is pretty clear: this is a backdoor way to get people hooked on an addictive substance: nicotine. Government has a legitimate role in preventing that. I call it pre-emptive, not heavy handed.
Allhands: But Tempe's ban won't stop people from using e-cigs. They can still smoke them on patios and other places where regular cigarettes are allowed. And, anyway, who doesn't know that smoking is bad and nicotine is addictive? If this was simply a campaign to help people make healthy choices, Tempe would be running PSAs that make e-cigarette smoking look gross, or at least uncool.
Valdez: That PSA campaign isn't a bad idea. A similar approach helped a lot of kids avoid a tumor-causing, teeth staining, smelly puking habit. E-cigs are a transparent attempt to sanitize that habit and keep selling the addiction. Tempe gets kudos for saying "no dice."