Legislature(2015 - 2016)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
02/04/2016 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB69 | |
| HB12 | |
| SB125 | |
| SB148 | |
| SB142 | |
| SB104 | |
| SB141 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 104 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 141 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 142 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 158 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | SB 69 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 12 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 125 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 148 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 141-E-CIGS: SALE TO AND POSSESSION BY MINOR
2:53:11 PM
CHAIR COSTELLO announced the consideration of SB 141.
SENATOR GARY STEVENS, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor of SB
141, explained that this bill attempts to keep electronic
cigarettes (e-cigarettes) out of the hands of children. It is
not a tax bill or an attempt to control e-cigarettes for adults.
This isn't being addressed on the federal level so several
states have taken action on their own. He recited the following
from Mitch Zeller the director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco
Products to emphasize the importance of this issue:
What I can definitely say is that nicotine is harmful
to the developing teenage brain. No teenager, no young
person should be using any tobacco or nicotine
containing products. E-cigarettes are among the
products that should be kept firmly out of the hands
and mouths of adolescents.
2:54:41 PM
TIM LAMKIN, Staff, Senator Gary Stevens, Alaska State
Legislature Juneau, Alaska, presented SB 141 on behalf of the
sponsor. He displayed a brief slide show to illustrate the types
and uses of e-cigarettes and clarified that the bill is about
protecting youth. Smoking e-cigarettes or vaping is the latest
fad among youths and an entire subculture exists around the
activity. He related that e-cigarette use began in 1963 but
didn't take root because tobacco smoking was more fashionable.
But as tobacco consumption has declined, e-cigarettes have
resurfaced as the vice of the future. The modern e-cigarette was
introduced in the U.S. in about 2007, and there are now about
500 related products in the U.S. market alone. Varieties are
expected to grow with demand.
MR. LAMKIN said there is a lot of support for keeping e-
cigarettes out of the hands of youth, but it's already in their
hands. They are arguably the target audience. He warned that
proponents of e-cigarettes will say they're better than regular
tobacco. While that may or may not be true, it doesn't mean
they're good for you. Another argument is that they aid in
smoking cessation. That, too, may or may not be true, but that
more likely applies to older smokers. Some proponents also argue
that it's about personal freedoms, but teenagers don't have all
the personal freedoms as adults.
SB 141 is about long-term health and healthy lifestyles.
CHAIR COSTELLO held SB 141 in committee for further
consideration and public testimony.