After spending numerous hours lobbying to have electronic cigarettes banned in national parks and all public places, New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone, is now on a warpath in an effort to have the ban extended on airplanes too. Despite the fact that most airlines have created a rule that ban vaping during the flight, that is not enough for Pallone.
Pallone is clearly not a fan of vaping and he has not taken his time to read dozens of research trials and scientific studies that reveal that electronic cigarettes are safer than tobacco cigarettes. In 2011, the United States Department of Transportation issued a directive to passengers informing them about the ban of electronic cigarette use on all flights. However, there is no federal statute to back up the Department of Transportation's directives.
Today, different agencies are considering banning electronic cigarettes on airplanes, but they have not officially taken a position yet. Pallone is trying to mobilize these agencies to take a position by treating electronic cigarettes in the same way they treat tobacco cigarettes.
According to the CDC reports, the number of vaper has more than doubled since 2010 with over 20.4 million people having tried an electronic cigarette at least once in U.S. Pallone uses this information to present electronic cigarettes use as a problem, but in essence, the increase in vaping is bringing a drastic drop in the number of tobacco cigarette users. In fact, most smokers are using electronic cigarettes to help them kick the habit of smoking the real thing.
Smoking was outlawed on all U.S. airlines for more than 20 years, but now electronic cigarettes might be the next prohibited item for on-board flights. Do you think the New Jersey lawmaker is petty by pushing for the ban of electronic cigarettes use or hoping to gain by waging a continuous war on electronic cigarettes?