The Electronic Cigarette Industry Group (ECIG) said New York acted prematurely and without supporting evidence last week when the City Council voted to add vaping to its municipal ban on smoking in public places.

“There are a number of publicly available studies that refute claims made in support of public vaping bans, but NYC’s Council has chosen to ignore this evidence and instead equate electronic cigarettes with combusted cigarettes”, said Eric Criss, head of the lobbying group. “Given that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is poised to issue its own regulations, the crusade by state and local city governments to try and ban or regulate e-cigarettes is not only premature, but counterproductive to the efforts of millions of Americans seeking an alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes.”
Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed the legislation, which is to take effect four months after signing.