Oh, Seal Beach. What are you doing?
Just a few days ago the Seal Beach City Council announced it's placing a 45-day freeze on e-cigarette shops in the area. The board voted unanimously that those darn vape pens are just still too mysterious, and that they need more time to study the issue. One board member expressed his concern to KCAL-TV Channel 9 reporter Melanie Woodrow, explaining that they feared the shops would start selling drug paraphernalia or use e-cigarettes for (big air quotes here) “illegal substances.”
Wait…you mean people use legal objects for illegal purposes?
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Luckily, the moratorium will not affect existing vape stores or gas stations and smokes shops that sell the necessary hardware. The city council is set to vote again near the end of the 45-day period, at which time they may be able to extend it further.
Yet in this same week, somewhat celebrity psychiatrist, Dr. Keith Ablow, released a study about the effectiveness of e-cigarettes in helping people quit. Although the study was sponsored by LOGIC, an e-cig company, (it's America, whaterya gonna do), Dr. Ablow found that 70 percent of his guinea pigs quit smoking real cigarettes after three months on the vape pens – and many quit even sooner than that. Non-smokers just seem to keep pulling the “we don't know enough card” despite the overwhelmingly positive results of e-cig studies so far.
Check out the press release for more details, and consider writing to Seal Beach City Council if vaping has worked for you.
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