MEDFORD, N.J., October 28, 2014 – The American Vaping Association (AVA), a leading advocate for the benefits of electronic cigarettes, today praised a new bipartisan bill introduced by New Jersey Assembly members Declan J. O’Scanlon Jr. (R) and Gary S. Schaer (D). If enacted, Assembly Bill 3482 would clarify that the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act does not ban the use of e-cigarettes in stores that primarily sell vaping products. Gregory Conley, President of the AVA and a resident of Medford, offered the following statement:
“Under New Jersey law, e-cigarettes are not ‘tobacco products.’ This has led to a situation in which it is legal for tobacco retail-store customers to smoke cigars for sampling purposes, but illegal for a vapor-retail store to allow the use of a smoke-free product on its property.
“New Jersey’s vapor retail stores are not asking for special treatment. This common sense legislation would ensure that retailers of e-cigarettes — battery-operated devices that create no smoke and leave behind no noxious odor — have the same rights as those selling combustible products like cigarettes and cigars. Vapor retail stores are benefiting public health in New Jersey by helping smokers transition away from cigarettes.
“The Assembly should pass this legislation and bring fairness to New Jersey’s growing number of small-business, vapor retailers.”
About the American Vaping Association
The American Vaping Association is a nonprofit organization that advocates for fair and sensible regulation of vapor products, otherwise known as electronic cigarettes, with the goal of maximizing the number of adult smokers who use these products to quit smoking. The AVA was founded by Gregory Conley, a consumer and industry advocate with a long track record of advocating for vapor products dating back to 2010.
We are dedicated to educating the public and government officials about public health benefits offered by vapor products, which are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid nicotine or nicotine-free solution and create an inhalable vapor. The AVA is not a trade group and does not speak for any particular businesses, including our industry sponsors.
You can learn more about AVA and vaping by visiting the AVA website. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.