(KING 5′s Jake Whittenberg reports.) EVERETT, Wash. — Snohomish County health officials are considering a ban on e-cigarettes and vaping in public. The new ordinance would build off of the existing statewide ban on smoking in public.
The Snohomish Health District is trying to prevent growing use among teens and prevent people from using the vaping devices to mask the use of marijuana.
“We’re not saying people can’t vape. They can certainly do so in private at home or in their car,” said Heather Thomas, spokeswoman for the Snohomish Health District. “Cigarettes took decades before we understood what was in them and that is still the same for e-cigarettes and vaping devices.”
But vape shop owners argue the product is healthier than traditional cigarettes and help smokers quit.
Joe Baba, owner of Vaporland in Everett and founder of the Washington Vape Association, says a ban on public smoking would cause several shops to close because it would outlaw taste-testing which is a big part of the business.
“People would not know what flavor to buy,” he said. “People would not be able to enjoy the process and figure out what they would want at home so they wouldn’t come into the store.”
King, Pierce, Grant and Clark counties already have a ban on e-cigarette smoking in public.
The public comment period is now open through July. You can comment at the health district website, email to sipp@snohd.org or attend a public listening session 11a – 1p on July 21 at Everett Community College.