A new anti-vaping bill would prohibit everything but edibles
A new bill is in the works in Colorado that would prevent vaping in public. House Bill (HB) 1076 seeks to make a change to the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act and could see any type of e-cigarette, whether it be for tobacco or cannabis, banned from virtually everywhere – restaurants, indoor public areas, workplaces, some outdoor locations and more.
The move is reportedly meant to stave an increased use of vaping products among adolescents. However, since the products are already illegal for anyone under 21, it really should be a non-issue. According to Cindy Sovine, a cannabis activist and lobbyist, “By banning the indoor use of vaporization products, they’re blocking the legal use of cannabis indoors and outdoors, except in edible form. That’s a big public policy decision that’s being made under the guise of e-cigarettes.” She points out that outdoor public cannabis consumption is already illegal in most areas.
Sovine adds, “A [medical marijuana] patient who’s sitting at work having a seizure can take a discrete hit of their vape pen and control their seizure. What are they supposed to do now? Pop an edible and wait an hour? That doesn’t take into account that edibles aren’t an efficient delivery method at all.”
The bill could also bring a halt to cannabis consumption lounges, which have only recently begun to make their way to the state. Additionally, veterans could be harmed by the bill, since they, in some instances, would not be able to consume cannabis to treat their post-traumatic stress disorder. Many veterans live in government-subsidized housing, and this housing is included as an off-limits location in the bill.
A hearing on HB 1076 is scheduled for tomorrow.
