Indpls Hoosier Vapers - Act!

[LaceyUnderall]

Do you live in Marion County Indiana?

Do you frequent any establishment that currently allows smoking? Have you been to Broad Ripple to enjoy a night out with friends? Those days are looking to be over.

Tonight, the City-County Council introduced Proposal No 371.

http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-smoking-ban-debate-reignites-100209,0,6339949.story

So tonight you can watch the city council meeting at: http://www.indy.gov/eGov/Cable/Gov_T..._schedule.aspx Tonight at 7pm EST.

The proposal is: NO 371 and can be found here: http://www.indy.gov/eGov/Council/Pro...ages/home.aspx

From the proposal here is where ecigs are specifically noted:

Page 2: (j) "Smoking" means the carrying or holding of a lighted cigarette, cigar, pipe, or any other lighted smoking equipment, the use of an electronic cigarette (also known as an e-cigarette), or the inhalation or exhalation of smoke from any lighted smoking equipment. "Smoking" does not include the burning of incense.

The only places exempt from the ban are private residences that are not licensed child care, adult day care, or health care facilities, and any vehicle used by an employee while in the service of an employer when the vehicle is occupied only by that employee, and the vehicle is not used by other employees at any other time.

Also: Smoking shall be prohibited within twenty-five feet of an entrance or opening to an enclosed space where smoking is prohibited.

What does that mean: That means that as all of the businesses in the Broad Ripple area are within 25 feet of each other, smoking will most likely be prohibited unless you are standing on the street, in traffic. (I would put an LOL here but it kind of isn't that funny!)

Upon adoption this ban goes into full effect immediately.

They plan to vote Monday, October 22nd. Public Hearing is October 14th.

Here are some other things to note:

Councillors Hunter, Mansfield, Malone and Evans have introduced this ordinance. What is actually very interesting is that in 2005, Angela Mansfield co-authored and co-sponsored Indianapolis' first "Smokefree Air Ordinance". Thus far, I cannot find anything further on Evans, Hunter, and Malone regarding smoking. Still looking. This ordinance would ammend her original "Smokefree Air Ordinance" to include the ecig AND to go back and eliminate all of the establishments like bars, bowling alleys, etc that were exempted in the first ordinance.

Also to note: Evans and Mansfield are both Dems and Malone and Hunger are both Republicans. Interesting. The city council consists of 15 republicans, 13 democrats and 1 libertarian.

So! If you live in Marion County and would like to help me... please feel free to PM. I have already contacted the Indiana Alcohol Beverage Commission, who opposes this ban. I am in the process of watching tonights City-County Council meeting and thus far, there has been no discussion.

Here is what I am planning: I am going to put together a letter and several pertinent studies to make it very clear that including the electronic cigarette as a product that emits smoke is not correct. If you would like to include a letter within this packet, which I will hand deliver to each of the 29 Councillors, please PM so I can forward you my email address so you can send your letter. If you would prefer to send the letter yourself, that's great! But I would be happy to include whatever with mine.

[bzeisman]

Page 2: (j) "Smoking" means the carrying or holding of a lighted cigarette, cigar, pipe, or any other lighted smoking equipment, the use of an electronic cigarette (also known as an e-cigarette), or the inhalation or exhalation of smoke from any lighted smoking equipment. "Smoking" does not include the burning of incense.

well....if people called them 'personal vaporizers', that inhale/exhale vapor, this whole thing could have been avoided

[LaceyUnderall]

Well... that may be so...

IMO, if it weren't for the fact that these were called "cigarettes", they would have been labeled as NRT's immediately, and you are totally right... we wouldn't be having this issue at all. Because frankly, if you didn't have your NRT prior to January of 2009... then most wouldn't have even known what an electronic cigarette was.

That said, Hoosiers are more than welcome to help in any way they can...

[StringDancer]

I'm down in the Bloomington area, Lacey, and have PM'd you a letter you may include in your efforts. Feel free to contact me if you want.

I might also mention I have a domain, VaporFreedom.com, which is currently a front-end for my own modest e-cig marketing (done entirely one-on-one, no sales via the web as yet). If the site might serve as a focal point for fighting an Indiana e-cig ban, I'd be happy to adapt it to that purpose.

[LaceyUnderall]

String - I got your letter... responded via PM... THANK YOU! I will certainly include it and have actually been to several other forums asking non-Marion county yet Indiana residents, to do the same... as eventually, what happens in Indy will filter throughout the state. Blah.

Thank you for the offer on the website as well. Today, we are working on getting in contact with some of the Committee members. One, happens to be one of the sponsors/authors/introducers. I am most wanting to talk to him to see what he knows about the ecig and why it was applied to the ordinance. Right now, the info from the Indy.gov website doesn't tell us anything in regards to the ecig other than they are under the impression that it produces smoke?!?

I did add you to my email list... so you can follow along with what is happening. Let me know if this is NOT ok... but you can respond to emails, not respond... whatever works for you. I have another person on the list who isn't even from Indiana, but is going through the same thing and wants to follow along to see how we handle it so they have a what to do or what not to do example when we get through this mess

I wish someone would draw a map. This would be so much easier LOL