The use of vaping products and e-cigarettes are no longer allowed at any place where smoking is prohibited in Washoe County.
The measure was approved during the 2019 state legislative session and took effect Jan. 1, 2020 as an update to the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act. The act was approved by voters during the 2006 election.
Wording was updated to protect the public from secondhand aerosol from electronic vaping products in most public spaces and indoor places of employment.
“We’re very pleased that the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act has been modernized to protect children and adults,” Kevin Dick, Washoe County District Health officer, said in a statement. “Studies indicate that e-cigarettes do not just emit ‘harmless water vapor,’ but typically contain nicotine, flavoring agents, propylene glycol and toxic chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm.”
Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling an aerosol, often referred to as vapor, which is produced by an e-cigarette or similar device, according to the Center on Addiction. E-cigarettes do not produce tobacco smoke, but rather an aerosol, often mistaken for water vapor, that consists of fine particles containing heavy metals and toxic chemicals, which have been linked to cancer, as well as respiratory and heart disease.
The Washoe County Health District has resources for those who need help quitting smoking or vaping:
- Get Healthy Washoe; Be Tobacco Free: https://www.washoecounty.us/health/programs-and-services/cchs/chronic-disease-prevention/be-tobacco-free/index.php
- The Nevada Tobacco Quit Line: 1-800-784-8669.
- Washoe County Baby & Me Tobacco Free Program for pregnant women: 775-328-2480.
