By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Official opposition among local governments to electronic cigarettes now includes Eatonville, which has become the first municipality in Pierce County and only the third in Washington to ban vaping in public parks. The Town Council approved an ordinance Nov. 9 that prohibits the use of electronic cigarettes in the town's four parks. Council members cited health concerns about the form of smoking and said the risks are similar to those of smoking tobacco, which also is prohibited in the parks. Eatonville's action, which officials said is based on scientific research that e-cigarettes emit harmful chemicals, comes as the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is moving toward regulating vaping the same way as tobacco products. The department announced in September that it wants to ban e-cigarette use in public places and workplaces, prohibit anyone under 18 years old from possessing e-cigarettes, and require retailers to have a permit in order to sell the products. The rules mirror state law governing tobacco products. The countywide regulations could take effect this year. A final decision will come from the Health Board, which will hold a hearing today in Tacoma for the final round of public comment that the Health Department has been accepting in spoken and written form since Sept. 23. E-cigarettes are battery-operated inhalers that consist of a rechargeable battery, a cartridge called a cartomizer, and an LED that lights up at the end when a smoker puffs on the device. Vaping is the term for inhaling water vapor that's created as liquid heats. Considered by some as a way for smokers to kick their tobacco habits, e-cigarettes are seen by health officials as an introduction to tobacco, especially among young people. "Nicotine is addictive, and e-cigarettes are nicotine-delivery vehicles,GÇ¥ said Dr. Anthony L-T Chen, the Health Department's director of health. "People who start using nicotine products when they are young are likely to become addicted for life, and tobacco companies are cultivating a sustainable market for their product." One of every five high school sophomores in Pierce County use e-cigarette products, a percentage that's double the number who smoke cigarettes, according to the 2014 Healthy Youth Survey that was conducted by the state's Department of Social and Health Services, Department of Health, and superintendent of public instruction. Eatonville has entered the forefront of government challenges to e-cigarettes. The only other Washington cities or towns whose parks are off-limits to vaping are Bellingham and Marysville, according to the Municipal Research Services Council (MRSC), a non-profit organization that consults with local governments. Other jurisdictions, such as King County, have outlawed vaping in workplaces and public places, but their definition of public places doesn't include parks, said Josh Mahar, an MRSC policy and communications consultant. Outside Washington, cities that have banned vaping in parks range in size from New York City and Chicago to Oregon's Salem and Roseburg. Eatonville's anti-vaping rules emerged from the Town Council's Public Safety Committee. Its members said the major concerns are secondhand vapor and the ability of e-cigarette users to add marijuana extract (THC) to the vaping liquid. Anyone caught by police vaping or smoking tobacco in the town's parks can be fined $50. The Police Department has been authorized to put signs in the parks warning the public about the potential penalties. With the town's permission, temporary smoking areas in parks are allowed for special events. County Councilman Rick Talbert, chairman of the Health Board, criticized the Legislature for not regulating e-cigarettes statewide.
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