E-Cigarettes Go To Jail

Back in March of 2010 smoking had been banned at all North Carolina jails and prisons for the obvious reasons that the old school cigarettes create a risk of fire and secondhand smoke and other things of that nature. This is a completely understandable reason to ban smoking traditional cigarettes indoors anywhere. The only problem was jail staff having to deal with inmate unrest due to nicotine withdrawal.

But now, with North Carolina’s Governor Pat McCrory’s signature still wet on the House Bill, e-cigarettes and “vapor products” are now available in county jails for inmates to buy with commissary. Still it is illegal for someone like a visiting spouse to give an inmate an e-cigarette on prison grounds. In fact it is a misdemeanor, because most electronic cigarettes contain metal components which can be fashioned into a weapon with enough saavy. That being said, the devices that are for sale in the jails will be made of plastic.

The other chief concerns about this is the same one that has been plaguing vape lovers and e-cig businesses, the FDA. As many know, e-cigarettes are not FDA-approved smoking-cessation tools. They have not proven that it is a good nicotine substitute but frankly why do we still care about the FDA? After all, they have been letting us consume GMO’s and such for decades.

No matter who is asked regarding the health risks of e-cigarettes, the conclusion is always that there is not enough information about it. Lets be serious here, if they’re looking for 10 years of info then maybe they should take 10 years to study. The electronic cigarette was officially patented in 1965, there has been ample time to poke and prod and observe. The fact that e-cigs have existed over 50 years is another thing entirely if you consider of all the cigarette related deaths and illnesses over the past half century. Conspiracy?

North Carolina jails WILL be profiting from e-cigarette sales which raises a moral issue. It’s well known that food you wouldn’t feed to an animal and sanitation is a major issue cried out by anyone who has been or is a part of the prison system. Will any of the revenue generated lead to bettering these conditions?

Yet and still, with North Carolina leading the way with introducing e-cigs into the jails, will it lead to nationwide acceptance? All the while stores and restaurants still have the right to say no to e-cigarettes within their establishments.