American Lung Association Supports Florida Amendment 9

Amendment 9 Would Expand Current Protections from Secondhand Smoke in Florida to Include E-Cigarette Emissions

The American Lung Association announced its support for Amendment 9 today, a constitutional amendment appearing on the November 2018 ballot in Florida. The Lung Association supports Amendment 9 because it would expand smokefree protections in the state by prohibiting the use of e-cigarettes in areas where the use of cigarettes and other tobacco products are already prohibited.

“The American Lung Association strongly supports including e-cigarettes in smokefree laws to ensure that everyone is protected from both secondhand smoke and secondhand e-cigarette emissions,” said American Lung Association Chief Mission Officer Deb Brown. “Passing Amendment 9 and expanding the state’s current protections from secondhand smoke will protect Floridians from the dangers of e-cigarette aerosols in our state’s workplaces and public places where smoking is already prohibited.”

Both the U.S. Surgeon General and the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine have warned about the risks of inhaling secondhand e-cigarette emissions, which are created when an e-cigarette user exhales the chemical cocktail created by e-cigarettes. In 2016, the Surgeon General concluded that secondhand emissions contain, “nicotine; ultrafine particles; flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds such as benzene, which is found in car exhaust; and heavy metals, such as nickel, tin and lead.” 

“It is time for Floridians to stand up for public health and vote Yes on Amendment 9, so workers don’t have to choose between a paycheck and being exposed to potentially harmful e-cigarette emissions,” continued Brown.

Amendment 9 would amend Section 20 of Article X of the Florida State Constitution to expand current indoor workplace protections from secondhand smoke to also apply to e-cigarettes.

While not part of Amendment 9, the American Lung Association also supports extending public health protections from secondhand smoke and secondhand e-cigarette emissions to all workers, in Florida, including in certain stand-alone bars, which are not currently included in Florida’s Clean Indoor Air Act.  

About the American Lung Association 
The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease, through research, education and advocacy. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to improve the air we breathe; to reduce the burden of lung disease on individuals and their families; and to eliminate tobacco use and tobacco-related diseases. For more information about the American Lung Association, a holder of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org