San Mateo County supe calls for ban on all e-cigarettes

A San Mateo County supervisor is calling for e-cigarettes to be banned entirely in unincorporated areas of the county.

David Canepa, who represents San Mateo District 5, made a call to amend the county’s smoking ordinance in a letter Friday to San Mateo County Counsel John Beiers.

Canepa said in a statement:

“With the Centers for Disease Control urging Americans to stop vaping and the Federal Food and Drug Administration admonishing Juul for marketing its product as safe for children to use, it is clear Big Tobacco will go to any extremes to hook a new generation of nicotine addicts.”

Canepa continued:

“There is no scientific proof these electronic nicotine delivery devices help people stop smoking combustible cigarettes or are even safer to use. People are dying and falling ill because of vaping so the simple solution is to ban the items that are killing people and making them sick.”

Canepa said in his letter that San Mateo had been a leader by voting to ban flavored e-cigarettes last year, and the city should now enact restrictions similar to those approved in San Francisco, Livermore and Beverly Hills.