US: Vaping, E-cigarettes Banned in Clinton Restaurants, Stores

Source from:  Wapt News 12/03/2015

The city of Clinton has snuffed out electronic cigarettes and vaping in restaurants and other public spaces.

The city's Board of Aldermen approved an ordinance Tuesday night that treats e-cigarettes like regular tobacco, pushing those who use them outside. The debate centered on whether non-smokers have to be around it.

The new ordinance goes into effect in January.

Sipp Vapes operators in Clinton said they do a steady business selling e-cigarettes, vapes and other products. The liquids used in vape pens contain various flavors and levels of nicotine. A user sucks on the pen and then puffs out a liquid vapor. Some people said they use e-cigarettes and vaping to quit smoking.

"It's not like tobacco," Judith Hopkins, with Sipp Vapes, said. "If you (smoke) a cigarette, you have all these different types of toxins and stuff, but in vape, you don't. It's just a little vapor oil. It's not going to hurt you."

The Food and Drug Administration said e-cigarettes have not been fully studied yet, but Clinton leaders don't think residents should be forced to be around it in public places.

"They don't need to walk through the grocery store or through a restaurant and have to walk through a cloud of smoke," city spokesman Mark Jones said.

Once the ordinance goes into effect, violators could be fined up to $500. Stores that sell vapes will now have to be zoned like a tobacco shop with approval from the Board of Aldermen. Enditem