A bill introduced to the California legislature has proposed banning the use of electronic cigarettes in public places and increasing penalties for selling them to minors, according to a Reuters report.
The legislation — which adds e-cigarettes to the list of tobacco products regulated in the state — would make California the fourth state to treat e-cigarettes like regular cigarettes, and No. 23 among the states to regulate the tobacco products.
Areas in which smoking e-cigarettes would be banned under the bill include workplaces, restaurants, bars and other public areas.
Supporters of e-cigarettes criticized the bill, claiming the products are a safer alternative to combustible cigarettes because they don't fill the lungs with smoke and serve as a transition tool for smokers trying to quit their habit.
California Senator Mark Leno who introduced the bill disagreed, saying the e-cigarettes still contain nicotine to make them addictive and carcinogens to make them deadly. Sen. Leno was backed by the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association.
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