Senate passes bill to restrict e-cigarette use in indoor public places
Health groups praise move, urge Governor to sign
ST. PAUL, Minn., May 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Freedom to Breathe coalition, a group of Minnesota's major health organizations, responded today to the Minnesota Senate's passage of a Health and Human Services Policy omnibus bill that includes provisions restricting the use and sales of e-cigarettes.
Molly Moilanen, a coalition co-chair and Director of Public Affairs at ClearWay Minnesota, said, "The Minnesota Senate has shown good judgment today by voting on a bipartisan basis to include e-cigarettes in our strong smoke-free law. The bill would uphold Minnesota's high standard of clean indoor air, and protect Minnesotans from inhaling the toxic chemicals contained in e-cigarette vapor."
"The bill would also protect children from future addiction by prohibiting e-cigarettes in schools, making them less accessible in retail environments and penalizing retailers who sell to minors," Moilanen added.
"We applaud the Senate for passing the bill, which if signed into law would make Minnesota among the first states to prohibit e-cigarette use in indoor public places," said Moilanen. "We encourage the conference committee to adopt the Senate's version of the bill language, and we urge Governor Dayton to sign it."
The Freedom to Breathe coalition is a group of Minnesota's leading health and nonprofit organizations who share a goal of maintaining the strong standard of clean air made possible by the Freedom to Breathe Act.
Freedom to Breathe partners include: Allina Health, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association in Minnesota, Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Centra Care Health System, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, ClearWay Minnesota, Four Corners Partnership, HealthPartners, LAAMPP Institute, Local Public Health Association of Minnesota, Metro-MN Chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society, Minnesota Chapter of the American College of Physicians, Minnesota Medical Association, PartnerSHIP 4 Health, Southwest Community Health Improvement Program (C.H.I.P.) and Twin Cities Medical Society.
SOURCE Freedom to Breathe
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