a plan to require childresistant packaging and warning labels for the liquid nicotine used in electronic cigarettes unanimously passed the state senate on tuesday.supporters of senate bill 5477 said it would help prevent young children and toddlers from getting poisoned by the nicotine liquid, while also discouraging the use of vapor products among teenagers.ecigarettes are batterypowered devices that vaporize liquid nicotine to create the sensation of smoking a cigarette. they have become popular in recent years as an alternative for smokers trying to kick the tobacco habit.the legislation approved tuesday by the senate would make it a gross misdemeanor for a manufacturer to knowingly sell liquid nicotine products &mdash or other products designed for use in ecigarettes or vape pens &mdash without childresistant packaging.the measure would also require vaping products and ecigarettes to bear labels warning consumers that nicotine is harmful and to keep the products away from children.state law already prohibits sales of ecigarettes and vaping products to minors. but sen. bruce dammeier, the sponsor of the legislation, said he is concerned about rising reports of young children getting poisoned by nicotine liquid, as well as the popularity of vaping among young adults.&ldquowe&rsquore all keenly aware of the dramatic explosion of vapor products in our society, and in particular many of the detrimental effects they have on our youth,&rdquo said dammeier, rpuyallup. &ldquoit is a product safety bill and a child safety bill.&rdquodammeier&rsquos legislation would also mandate that schools ban vaping on school grounds and that stores selling vaping products post signs stating that they won&rsquot sell to minors. if vaping stores allow minors inside, they would have to ensure the products can&rsquot be accessed without the help of a clerk.democratic gov. jay inslee has proposed similar regulations aimed at preventing minors from vaping or accessing nicotine liquid, but his plan would impose a 95 percent tax on the products as well.dammeier said he would like the legislature to approve the childsafety protections separately, to avoid their getting mired in a debate on taxes.jaime smith, a spokeswoman for inslee, said the governor thinks a tax would be one of the most effective ways of deterring youths from using vaping products.still, the governor&rsquos office is supportive of dammeier&rsquos bill, she said.&ldquoanything we can do to prevent minors from gaining access to these products is progress,&rdquo smith said.melissa santos 3603570209 melissa.santos@thenewstribune.com @melissasantos1 
