HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Cabell County will be the next county in West Virginia to see a ban on the use of all electronic smoking devices in workplaces and public spaces.
After a 5 p.m. public hearing Wednesday in Huntington on the proposed new regulation, members of the Cabell-Huntington Board of Health voted unanimously to approve the change which will take effect in 30 days.
“We want to be able to protect the public as much as we can and putting a regulation in place like this can help reduce vaping among the general public,” said Elizabeth Adkins, public information officer for the Cabell-Huntington Health Department, of the proposal.
Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released revised recommendations advising people not to use e-cigarettes or vaping products containing THC, especially from sources like friends, family and in-person or online dealers.
Vitamin E acetate should not be added to e-cigarette or vaping products, nor should any other substances left out by manufacturers, the CDC said.
Those recommendations were scaled back from a broader advisory first issued in 2019 as vaping-related illnesses and deaths climbed nationwide.
However, the CDC’s advisory has remained the same for certain people.
“E-cigarette, or vaping, products should never be used by youths, young adults, or women who are pregnant,” the CDC recommended.
“Adults who do not currently use tobacco products should not start using e-cigarette, or vaping, products.”
In Cabell County, Adkins said health officials were trying to do their part amid uncertainty.
“This is our job is to get on the front lines and try to put preventative measures in place. It’s really important, especially when there’s still so much controversy,” she said.
“That’s our role in this — to protect the community.”
Members of the Cabell-Huntington Board of Health had previously seen the ban proposal at meetings in October and November.
A public comment period for written input started on Dec. 6 and ended on Jan. 7.
“We did not receive one public written comment,” Adkins said.
One person spoke at Wednesday’s meeting.
Last week, members of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department amended an existing policy prohibiting the use of smoking tobacco products in public places to include electronic cigarettes and vaping devices.
Using such devices in Kanawha County is not allowed inside or within 15 feet of locations like restaurants, retail stores and most businesses.
The policy change took effect immediately in Kanawha County.