PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (Legal Newsline) — The Rhode Island House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare recently examined legislation filed on behalf of Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin that would require child-resistant packaging for e-cigarettes and similar products.
"The popularity and use of e-cigarettes and vaping products continues to rise. While the jury is still out on the health effects of e-cigarettes versus the known health traditional nicotine products, we can all agree that these products should be kept out of the hands of children," Kilmartin said.
"Most troubling is that these products – especially e-liquids – come in a variety of enticing flavors, such as candy crush and gummy bear, which appeal to children. There is currently no such regulation on this toxic product with respect to child-resistant packaging."
The legislation is backed by Rep. Helio Melo (D-East Providence). A companion bill in the Rhode Island Senate is sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggiero (D-North Providence, Providence).
"This legislation will help prevent children from accessing addictive and potentially harmful e-liquid products," Ruggerio said. "It will further protect children by banning the use of such products on school grounds where they could inadvertently get access to an e-cigarette or vaping device. This is common sense legislation that is crucial as the use of e-liquid products continues to rise."
Kilmartin’s office believes it is important to address the issue of e-cigarettes because the state’s Department of Health should be allowed to enforced child-resistant packaging requirement violations.