_2012 Legislature Amends Utah Indoor Clean Air Bill
By Peter Moosman
2012 is the Chinese year of the Dragon, which means a year of good fortune and a sign of intense power. With that being said, it is time to rev up your activist engines and get ready for a stellar legislative session! To kick off the session,we are here to give you an update on a bill that would make the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act (UICAA) more comprehensive. Let me explain:
Hookahs are harmful to your health. To inhale hookah smoke means to inhale toxins that can affect the user and those around them. In fact, "secondhand smoke from hookahs pose a serious risk for nonsmokers, particularly because it contains smoke not only from the tobacco, but also from the heat source (e.g., charcoal) used in the hookah." (CDC website).
Next we have eCigarettes. These are devices are made for getting a nicotine hit without the nasty tobacco. As of right now, if you were in an airplane and someone starts smoking an eCigarette next to you, there is nothing you can do about it (other than breathe in the nicotine vapor). Just a reminder, nicotine is the most addictive substance in the world, and a single drop of pure nicotine injected into the blood stream will kill you in 7 seconds. Needless to say, its not the best stuff to be inhaling.
Now that we have that information, it makes sense that people have voiced their concern for allowing these products in public places, free from restriction. A legislative bill was created with a hope for safer, cleaner air for all. This is HB 245, Amendment to Definition of Smoking in Utah Indoor Clean Air Act. Lets just call it HB 245 though. It is an extremely basic amendment that simply includes hookahs and eCigarettes to the UICAA. That means you won't need to worry about someone smoking their eCigarette next to you while in line at a grocery store. That means you won't need to worry about going out with friends one evening and ending up in a room full of toxin filled air. Less worries all around!
Hookahs are harmful to your health. To inhale hookah smoke means to inhale toxins that can affect the user and those around them. In fact, "secondhand smoke from hookahs pose a serious risk for nonsmokers, particularly because it contains smoke not only from the tobacco, but also from the heat source (e.g., charcoal) used in the hookah." (CDC website).
Next we have eCigarettes. These are devices are made for getting a nicotine hit without the nasty tobacco. As of right now, if you were in an airplane and someone starts smoking an eCigarette next to you, there is nothing you can do about it (other than breathe in the nicotine vapor). Just a reminder, nicotine is the most addictive substance in the world, and a single drop of pure nicotine injected into the blood stream will kill you in 7 seconds. Needless to say, its not the best stuff to be inhaling.
Now that we have that information, it makes sense that people have voiced their concern for allowing these products in public places, free from restriction. A legislative bill was created with a hope for safer, cleaner air for all. This is HB 245, Amendment to Definition of Smoking in Utah Indoor Clean Air Act. Lets just call it HB 245 though. It is an extremely basic amendment that simply includes hookahs and eCigarettes to the UICAA. That means you won't need to worry about someone smoking their eCigarette next to you while in line at a grocery store. That means you won't need to worry about going out with friends one evening and ending up in a room full of toxin filled air. Less worries all around!