L.A. Now Live: Discuss new e-cigarette restrictions enacted in L.A.
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Join Times staff writer David Zahniser for a L.A. Now Live discussion at 1 p.m. today on the decision by city officials to treat e-cigarettes the same as regular cigarettes and ban their use in parks, restaurants and most workplaces.
The decision came Tuesday after an impassioned debate at the City Council. While many have embraced e-cigarettes as an alternative to regular smoking, there has been a backlash against the smokeless cigarettes as their popularity grows.
Part of the decision includes a ban on using e-cigarettes in outdoor dining areas of restaurants and at city-sponsored farmers’ markets.
Critics warn that the electronic devices, which produce a nicotine-laced vapor inhaled by users, could pave the way for a resurgence in tobacco use among young adults.
But the long-term health effects of vapor on those who are in close proximity to e-cigarette users remains unclear. And the lack of federal data on the question has given ammunition to supporters of e-cigarettes, who assert that the council is acting prematurely.
Before, or during the chat, readers can send their questions or comments via Twitter to the moderator, @aribloomekatz, or directly through the chat when it goes live on the Los Angeles Times homepage starting at 1 p.m.
Twitter: @aribloomekatz
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