Letters to the editor for Tuesday, April 29, 2014

State should ban sales of e-cigarettes to children

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the popularity of electronic cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, are battery-operated products designed to deliver nicotine, flavor, and other chemicals which are vaporized into an aerosol that is inhaled by the user.

E-cigarette use is growing rapidly, particularly among teenagers. Between 2010 and 2011, the number of U.S. adults who had tried e-cigarettes doubled. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study issued in September 2013 found that in just one year, from 2011 to 2012, the percentage of high school students who had used e-cigarettes more than doubled from 4.7 percent to 10 percent. More than 20 percent of the middle school students who reported using e-cigarettes said they had never tried traditional cigarettes.

Sales data support public health evidence illustrating the growing popularity of e-cigarettes, with sales doubling every year since 2010 and projected to reach $2 billion in 2013. In spite of the growing consumption of e-cigarettes and the fact that there has been limited research on their health effects, e-cigarettes are currently unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Unlike traditional tobacco products, e-cigarettes are not subject to federal age verification laws and can be legally sold to children unless state or local laws bar their sale to minors. Presently, 28 states prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. It is time for Nevada to protect our children and do the same thing.

Holly Lenz

Carson City

Bees paid unexpected visit in Carson City on Easter

Easter Sunday the 900 block of Jeanell Drive in Carson City had an unexpected visit from a colony of bees. A swarm of bees buzzed through and took a rest break in a pine tree by making a makeshift hive from their own bodies before moving south, southeast through Carson’s north side. The buzz from the swarm could be heard from half a block away as the swarm passed.

Bees play a big part in the desert ecology, and even large moving colonies will not attack unless threatened. The temporary hive is to protect the queen bee when the swarm makes a stop.

Jimmie Jones

Carson City