We’re old hands at this 2020 thing now. Sure, we spent the first day back at work writing ‘2019’, but we’re mostly good.

So what’s blowing in with the New Year? For one thing; fresher air. Yep, the air we’re going to breathe in 2020 is new and improved, thanks to a law that went into effect on January 1st 2020.

Across Nevada, the use of vaping products and e-cigarettes is now outlawed in the same public spaces as tobacco smoke and a 30% tax hike has been implemented on electronic smoking products.

Both moves come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigate the recent outbreaks of lung injuries linked to the use of e-cigarettes. Another factor is the mounting evidence that – as with tobacco – second-hand vaping is a potential health risk.

E-cigarettes haven’t only been linked to respiratory problems: people have also suffered injuries as a result of the device battery exploding.

Anything that protects our health and safety is a good thing, but do the recent legal changes go far enough? When the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act was approved in 2006, exclusions meant that casino employees would not enjoy the same smoke-free rights as other workers.

That status quo remains, and these box-fresh legal changes once again leave casino workers behind.

Observers believe that as more people stop smoking altogether and the casino-going demographic shifts, casino workers will be awarded the same protection against second-hand smoke as other workers. Watch this space, as they say.

Vaping can elicit strong opinions on both sides. Many people view it through the positive lens of helping people to quit smoking regular tobacco. Detractors point to the risks of breathing compound chemical vapors that we’re not familiar with yet, and the recent wave of injuries and deaths that have been linked to vaping.

The long-term health hazards are unknown, but that isn’t impeding its popularity: a rising 13.8 million people in the US currently use e-cigarettes.

If you choose to vape, do so as safely as possible. If you are injured by a vape unit or think you’ve sustained injuries as a result of smoking e-cigarettes, then talk to us. Your Bighorn Law attorney will discuss your concerns and help you to understand your options. No obligation. No pressure. Just good advice from the experts.

Isn’t that a breath of fresh air?