Jump to full article: Springfield (MA) Union-News and Sunday Republican, 2010-07-20
Author: FRED CONTRADA
Intro: NORTHAMPTON - A new smoking device is making its presence felt, and the Board of Health is putting out a call to the community as it tries to decide what to do about it.
E-cigarettes are tiny machines that deliver nicotine without the use of tobacco. Like the chocolate cigarettes of a generation ago, they look just like real cigarettes. Instead of eating them, however, the user breathes in vaporized nicotine.
"It's a way of using nicotine without tobacco," said Northampton Health Department director Benjamin Wood. "The device heats a nicotine product and you inhale it as vapor." . . .
The Health Department has proposed new language in its regulations to cover E-cigarettes and other nicotine-delivery devices. It will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in City Hall to hear comments from the community.
"It's not necessarily a huge issue right now with retailers in Northampton, but we don't really know," Wood said.
Although there are no regulations about how stores can sell the product, the Health Department could restrict sales by requiring a permit.
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