It’s no longer legal to smoke inside bars and restaurants in North Carolina.

Should the same policy be extended to vaping?

The Orange County Board of Health is seeking public feedback now on a proposal to prohibit the use of e-cigarettes in the enclosed areas of bars and restaurants. The board proposed the new rule in January, after considering new evidence on the risk of secondhand exposure to e-cigarette vapor (which can contain nicotine and other chemicals).

You can read the proposed rule here.

Get additional information on the rule and the broader issue here, via the Orange County Board of Health.

Not everyone is in favor of the proposed rule: Orange County conservative Ashley DeSena says she’s concerned the county would be imposing restrictions without sufficient evidence of a legitimate public health threat. She discussed the issue earlier this week with WCHL’s Aaron Keck.

 

If you’d like to weigh in on the proposed rule, you can take an online survey, or send an email to SmokeFreeOC@OrangeCountyNC.gov, through Sunday. There will also be a public hearing this Wednesday, April 27, at 7 pm in the health department’s office at 300 West Tryon Street in Hillsborough.

For more information on how you can weigh in, visit this page on the Health Department’s website.

Photo via Vaping360.com.

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