State Sen. Arnold Supporting Tougher Regulations for E-Cigarette Liquids

Senator Jim Arnold
Senator Jim Arnold

The liquid used in e-cigarettes could be regulated under legislation being sponsored by State Senator Jim Arnold.

House Bill 1432 would clarify the liquid used in vapor pens as intended to be inhaled. If the bill is signed into law, manufacturers of the liquid would be required to obtain a proper permit. That permit would cover a period of five years.

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Adult Smoking Rate Declining in U.S.

The adult smoking rate in the United States continues to decline slowly.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey found that the largest decline in smoking from 2005 to 2011 occurred among young adults aged 18–24. Smoking among high school students has been cut by more than half since peaking in 1997. The U.S. Surgeon General has found that nearly 90 percent of smokers start by age 18 and almost no one starts smoking after age 25.

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No Smoking On North Judson Town Property

The town of North Judson’s no-tobacco ordinance is now in effect, prohibiting smoking or any other form of tobacco use in municipal buildings or properties, including parks. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says the ordinance prohibits smoking and tobacco use on the premises of municipal properties or within eight feet of their entrances.

The ordinance also prohibits smoking in town parks and their park shelters or within 15 feet of the shelters.

The North Judson Town Council held the first and second readings of the no-tobacco ordinance at their meeting on Aug. 20, and Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says the council held the final reading on the ordinance at their meeting on Sept. 4.

The ordinance is more restrictive than the state’s Smoke Free Air Law, but only applies to municipal properties.

Smoking To Be Prohibited On Starke County Government Campuses

Starke County Commissioners Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom and Jennifer Davis

The Starke County Commissioners at their recent meeting approved a motion prohibiting smoking on all Starke County government building campuses – this but one day after the state’s new smoke-free air law took effect, prohibiting smoking in most businesses throughout Indiana. Smoking will not be allowed on the properties of the annex building, courthouse, jail, county highway garage, ambulance garages, and other county-owned buildings.

The minimum state provisions for the new smoke-free air law require all non-exempt buildings to post signs prohibiting smoking within eight feet of any entrance, but the commissioners’ motion prohibits smoking on the property as a whole and requires smokers to travel as far as the sidewalk to light up.