Update:
The vape/tobacco shop item set to be voted on by Alpharetta council members Monday night has been removed from the agenda, city spokesman James Drinkard said Monday afternoon.
Drinkard said it was removed by the councilman who brought it forward, Ben Burnett, to finalize some of the details.
A new date for the item to come before the council had not been determined, Drinkard said.
Original:
The Alpharetta City Council has the chance Monday night to approve restricting where vape and tobacco shops can go in the city.
Alpharetta is set to decide that any business with more than 10% of its sales coming from cigars, cigarettes, vape or tobacco products may not be within 2,000 feet of the following places: a school, religious institution, government building, park, residential dwelling or another smoke/vape shop.
Milton and Johns Creek each decided to not allow any shop with 25% of its business from vaporized nicotine products.
Like those nearby northside cities, Alpharetta has cited safety concerns as the reason why they want to regulate these shops.
READ | GDOT moves ahead on Ga. 400 lanes without Alpharetta's big ask
READ | E-scooters bring together some of Atlanta's most influential leaders
Vapes and e-cigarettes have a small heating element that turns liquid nicotine — often mixed with flavoring — into a vapor that doesn’t linger in the air like tobacco smoke. Some devices can take cartridges that have THC, the substance in marijuana that gives a high, but these are not legal in Georgia.
The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in August released word about the first death linked to vaping.
On Thursday, the CDC announced that 1,080 lung injury cases have been associated with use of e-cigarette or vaping products across the nation. There have been 18 deaths in 15 states, including at least one reported death in Georgia.
Credit: AP Photo/Steven Senne
Credit: AP Photo/Steven Senne
President Donald Trump has called to crack down on flavored e-cigarettes.
Alpharetta City Council members moved the local measure forward at a Sept. 23 meeting. The issue of distance between vape shops and ease of access came up in late August when the Alpharetta City Council denied an application for a new vape shop.
The meeting where it could become law will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the council chambers at Alpharetta City Hall, 2 Park Plaza.
Like North Fulton County News Now on Facebook | Follow on Twitter
