Tag Archives: vaping

Hearing Tuesday on indoor vaping ban

0203_KSLO_Vape5-300x249 UPDATE: The Health Board unanimously approved the indoor vaping ban Tuesday afternoon. No comments were given during the formal public hearing.

Kitsap Public Health District Health Board will hold a formal public hearing Tuesday on a proposed ordinance that would ban vaping in indoor public places.

The board meeting is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. at the Norm Dicks Government center in Bremerton.

The ordinance would prohibit vaping in any interior space available to the public in Kitsap County, including workplaces, bars, restaurants, stores, buses and elevators.

The ordinance wouldn’t affect vaping in vape stores.

The health district had been developing a much broader set of vaping regulations before the Legislature approved an overarching state vaping law.

You can read the proposed ordinance here.

Health district releases new draft vaping ordinance

Tad Sooter

0203_KSLO_Vape5 Kitsap Public Health District posted an updated draft of an ordinance Wednesday that would ban vaping in indoor public places.

The district had been developing a much broader ordinance regulating vaping and vape shops in the county but a new state law on vaping nullified many of the proposed local rules.

The state law bans minors younger than 18 from possessing or purchasing vapor products, requires vapor retailers to obtain licenses and prohibits vaping in some public places, such as schools and playgrounds, frequented by children, among many other provisions.

The law didn’t address vaping in many indoor public places, and that’s the area the health district is targeting with its new draft ordinance.

The ordinance would prohibit vaping in any interior space available to the public, including workplaces, restaurants, stores, buses and elevators — essentially any enclosed gathering space that is not a private residence:

Under the proposed ordinance, establishments that bar entry to minors could obtain waivers to allow indoor vaping. The local ban also would not apply to vape shops, where vaping is still allowed under the new state law.

The public health board will review the new draft ordinance at its May 3 meeting, but will not take action until a later date.

The full text of the draft ordinance is posted below:

KPHB Draft Regulations Restricting Vaping in Indoor Public Places by Tad Sooter

Fewer Kitsap retailers selling tobacco to kids

Tad Sooter

Three years ago, Kitsap County had the highest rate of illegal tobacco sales to minors in the state, according to the Synar Report.

Local retailers performed better in compliance checks in the past two years.

After an alarming 39.3 percent sold to minors in 2013, 14.8 percent made illegal sales in 2014, followed by 13.3 percent in 2015 (see chart above).

20051230-071415-pic-363824317 These numbers are based on relatively small sample sizes. Thirty compliance checks were conducted in Kitsap last year as part of the Synar study. There are about 200 tobacco retailers in the county.

During the checks, underage teens, working with law enforcement, attempt to buy cigarettes from randomly-selected retailers.

State health officials were discouraged by the statewide trend, as more than 17 percent of retailers sold to minors during compliance checks last year.

According to a news release, the state could lose federal funding for drug, alcohol, and tobacco prevention and treatment if the rate exceeds 20 percent.

“It is unacceptable that more than one in six retailers are illegally selling tobacco to minors,” Secretary of Health John Wiesman said in the release. “When kids get their hands on tobacco, it can lead to a lifetime of addiction, poor health, and early death.”

Surveys suggest tobacco use is declining among Kitsap teens, though vaping is on the rise.

You can find more Kitsap-specific tobacco stats here.