NEW YORK CITY: Smoking Rights Group Loses Appellate Court Battle Against Ban On Vaping In Public Places

The New York Daily News reports:

People who puff on e-cigarettes have to follow the same rules as smokers who use tobacco in New York City, an appellate court ruled Thursday. The ban on vaping in public places like bars, bistros and beaches took effect in 2014, but was challenged in court as unconstitutional by a smokers’ rights group. Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, or NYC CLASH, argued that the city violated the state constitution by lumping unrelated subjects in one bill because vaping and smoking tobacco are different. In May 2015, a lower court ruled against NYC CLASH and on Thursday the Manhattan Appellate Division agreed.

The public vaping ban was approved in 2013 by the New York City Council upon the urging of then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg.