YOU SAID IT: Snuff Those E-Cigs

The New York Times reports that e-cigarette sales more than doubled to $1.7B last year, and in the next decade, consumption could surpass that of regular cigarettes. Over 500 readers responded to our recent survey with their thoughts, and 64% say they still shouldn't be allowed in non-smoking multifamily buildings and floors. The biggest issue? The health effects of e-cigs on smokers and those around them have not been fully determined, with industry and medical research still butting heads and minimal federal oversight. While many respondents felt they should be treated like regular cigarettes, Boston's Best Realty's Marian Lazarczyk, an ex-smoker, tells us people will use them anyway so there's no point in forbidding it. Others against the ban say they notice no smell or ill effects around e-cigs, so it's difficult to enforce.

CBRE senior real estate manager Lynn Vilmar, chair of BOMA International's government affairs committee, gave us details on the group's stance on e-cigs. It supports the right of building owners to establish their own policies, as long as they follow federal, state, and local laws. BOMA will treat e-cigs like any tobacco product until there's definitive evidence otherwise from a recognized federal, state, or local agency, such as the FDA. They also present a new factor for property managers to monitor. Lynn manages a 42-story office building in downtown Tampa, and has had to ask several people smoking e-cigs in the lobby and in tenant spaces to go outside to the smoking area. Which side's blowing smoke? The debate continues. For the full report, see last week's Bisnow Multifamily newsletter.