State lawmaker wants to ban e-cigs, but American Lung Association not on board
Jan 28, 2015
By Shannon Sims
MILWAUKEE- Matt Murphy went from smoking two packs a day to making the switch to vaping.
“You probably should not be putting anything into your lungs, but the harm reduction to this product is huge,” said Murphy, the owner of Lakeview Vapor. “I am a testament to that.”
E-cigarettes have grown in popularity. And now state Rep. Debra Kolste, (D-Janesville) wants the devices banned in restaurants and bars, just like cigarettes.
Diner Christine Saugstad isn’t sure e-cigarettes should be snuffed out.
“If it is not affecting my health it is not going to bother me, but if it is then yes,” she said.
Dr. Ileen Gilbert, a pulmonologist at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, said the jury is still out on the safety of e-cigs and second-hand vapor.
“We are going to need decades of studies if we are going to look at second-hand smoke from vaping,” she said. “If you go into a vaping bar you can’t see. There is so much of this smoke. How long can you be exposed to second-hand smoke?”
The American Lung Association of Wisconsin also wants more studies, but it does not support changing the current law for now.
“We think for the time being we should keep our hands off,” said Dona Wininsky, the director of public policy and communications at American Lung Association of Wisconsin. “It is a good law, well intended, let’s just leave it alone.”
