A Small Victory in NYC in the People vs. ThomasLessons in Motion: A Small Victory in New York in the People vs. Thomas Means That Anti-Vaping Lawmakers Will Get to WorkWhile this case is a small victory, it is not one that should make us complacent in our advocacy efforts. The People vs. Thomas addressed vaping on a NYC Subway platform. The good news in the case is that one smart judge just ruled that vaping is not smoking. However, this will only drive some lawmakers to work. The anti-vaping establishment is aiming to encumber vaping under smoking laws, specifically the Clean Air Act, a law that does not currently cover vaping. Like other states, this type of legislation has been proposed in the current legislative session in Florida, aiming to criminalize vaping. The lesson here is that this one small victory in NYC will likely fuel the anti-vaping crusade, with a focus on rewording the Clean Air Act. Such efforts aim to encumber vaping by way of the Clean Air Act and thus it is important to let our lawmakers know that we agree with the New York judge who recognized and acknowledged that vaping is not smoking. Like you, we do not support the fact that lawmakers want to see the two (smoking and vaping) as one in the same.
