Dennis RomeroA new petition at Change.org asks Mayor Eric Garcetti and the L.A. City Council to reverse the e-cigarette ban that went into effect April 19.
Of course, it's too little, too late. We're wondering what, exactly, e-cigarette fans are putting in those vaporizers, because we've been writing about City Hall's ban since December, and the public had weeks to gather signatures and file a referendum that could have forced the council to reverse itself or put the matter before voters.
See also: L.A. E-Cigarette Ban in Bars, Clubs Burns Some
A Change.org petition is nonbinding although, being the social media maven he his, we're sure Garcetti will take note:
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The mayor, unfortunately or not, doesn't have the power to reverse a city law.
Some e-cigarette fans felt the ordinance was a political fast move. Actor Corey Feldman told us the ordinance was “snuck in there when nobody was looking.”
L.A. Weekly did about a half-dozen stories before the ban went into effect. One even explained that a voter referendum to overturn the law was still possible. Oh well.
The Change.org petition, started by Angeleno Simon Holden, already has more than 600 supporters. It says:
Credit: Courtesy VapeDay lounge
There is absolutely NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE of significant harmful, second-hand effects from e-cigarette vapor to people in the vicinity of a user of an e-cigarette. In fact, all studies show that e-cigarettes are vastly less harmful for the users and that for bystanders there is no detectable absorbtion of the small amounts of nicotine in second-hand vapor. Any restriction on the use of e-cigarettes simply restricts the potential of THE MOST EFFECTIVE smoking cessation device to be effective in the lives of smoking Angelinos and those who recognize the health dangers of tobacco use.
The city ban treats e-cigarettes like regular ones, prohibiting their use in bars, restaurants, clubs and parks – even on city beaches.
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