No e-cigarettes in public places 

Persons will no longer be able to utilise electronic smoking devices in public places.

That’s because Parliament yesterday approved amendments to the Health Services Act, which will ensure that electronic devices, such as cigarettes and cigars, are subject to the same controls and health warnings on packaging as regular cigarettes.

Leading off the debate on the Health Services (Amendment) Bill in the Lower House yesterday morning, Minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Christ Church South, John Boyce, indicated that the matter of electronic smoking devices was not specifically addressed in the 2010 amendment which banned smoking in public places, and needed to be dealt with. According to the Minister of Health, these types of cigarettes have been readily available in Barbados over the last four years, and sold in many convenience stores and services stations.

“In the case of the electronic cigarette or e-cigarette, this is a handheld electronic device that vaporises a flavoured liquid and contains the addictive ingredient nicotine. It is considered within the regulation as similar to the standard lit tobacco product, and therefore, as of today [Tuesday] in Barbados, will be guided by restriction of the sale to minor and smoking in public places. So the amendment, Mr. Speaker, will seek to include the e-cigarette in these restrictions,” the Health Minister told the Lower House.
His comments came as he indicated that his Ministry does not support the notion that the e-cigarette can be used as a cessation device. On the contrary, Minister Boyce said it may be a forerunner to the use of lit tobacco products. (JRT)