Piscataway Outlaws E-Cigarette/Vape Sales In Nearly Entire Town

PISCATAWAY, NJ — Piscataway is leading the state when it comes to taking action against vaping/e-cigarettes: It has essentially banned the sale of e-cigarettes and vape pens in nearly the entire town, by passing an ordinance this winter that forbids them from being sold within 500 meters of schools, parks and other locations deemed "sensitive" in town. At 3.2 feet in a meter, that's a 1,600-foot ban.

It is now illegal to sale vaping products/e-cigarettes within 1,600 feet of the following in Piscataway: nursery schools, pre-schools, child or adult or special-need daycare centers, elementary, middle or high schools, universities and colleges, funeral homes, any healthcare facility (such as a doctor or dentist office), parks, playgrounds, fitness facilities and rec centers, assisted living facilities and churches and all other houses of worship.

Because that is such an extensive list, the law effectively outlaws e-cigarette sales in a majority of the Township. In about 90 percent of the town, it will now be illegal for businesses to sell e-cigarette/vape pens, said a spokesman for Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler.

Right now, vapes and e-cigs are sold in many convenience stores throughout Piscataway.

Piscataway and other New Jersey towns have used similar "500 meter" legislation to outlaw gun sales.

By passing such a law, Piscataway is ahead of the curve on vaping. Two years ago, neighboring Highland Park began requiring businesses that want to sell vape pens first obtain a $1,200 license, proceeds of which go into anti-smoking campaigns and programs to help people quit smoking. And this past December, Jersey City banned the sale of e-cigarettes that use flavored tobacco. But experts say Piscataway's ban goes the furthest in the state, because it bans all e-cigarette sales, and not just flavored tobacco.

“This ordinance restricts the availability of e-cigarettes more thoroughly than a flavor ban," said Kevin Schroth, an associate professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health. Schroth helped Mike Bloomberg when he introduced laws in New York City that restricted tobacco use and sugary beverage consumption. Schroth helped the Bloomberg administration write those laws.

“Every hurdle that increases the opportunity of an addictive product affects purchasing decisions and makes progress,” he said.

As Patch reported, in September Gov. Phil Murphy said he wants to make New Jersey the first state in the nation to ban e-cigarette sales. But that has not become law yet.

New Jersey is not exactly friendly to the vape industry: In 2010, New Jersey was the first state in the country to ban smoking e-cigarettes in bars and restaurants — the same places where regular cigarettes are banned. In the summer of 2015, "Vape Expo NJ" in Edison was fine $50,000 by Middlesex County health officials for violating the state's indoor smoke-free air law.

The law actually went into effect Dec. 16, but Piscataway officials are giving local businesses until the end of January to comply. They will then start being fined, at $250 for the first offense, $500 for the second offense and $1,000 for every subsequent offense.

“Younger people are unfortunately using these dangerous products and suffering because of them,” said Dr. Karen Lin, assistant dean of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “High school student use has jumped to 20.8 percent and this is fraught with immediate as well as life-long injury.”

“With our Township’s full range of free sports opportunities and a new $32 million community center about to open, this ban on vaping products fits well with our mission to better ensure the health of our youth,” said Wahler. “We want kids playing ball or going to a playground after school, not vaping.”

As of December 27, 2019, a total of 2,561 cases of hospitalized e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury or deaths have been reported to the CDC from all 50 states.

Related: Piscataway Breaks Ground On $32 Million Community Center

Highland Park Cracking Down on e-Cigarettes

NJ Plans E-Cigarette Ban As Deadly 'Outbreak' Grows Dramatically (not yet law)

Startling Details, Cases Skyrocket In Deadly NJ Vaping Outbreak

Jersey City Bans The Sale Of Flavored E-Cigarettes