Philadelphia Poised to Regulate E-Cigs

Philadelphia is set to join a growing list of city and state governments that are regulating e-cigarettes.

The city council voted unanimously Thursday to ban smoking the electronic cigarettes in public and to prohibit their sale to minors under 18, NBC Philadelphia reports, subjecting the device to the same regulations imposed on traditional cigarettes. The legislation, which imposes $250 fines on businesses that sell e-cigarettes to minors, still has to be signed by Mayor Michael Nutter. A spokesperson for the mayor told NBC that he could not say Thursday whether Nutter would sign the bill.

New York City, Chicago, and the state of New Jersey are among several jurisdictions that have imposed similar restrictions on electronic cigarettes, as local governments respond to reports of growing use, particularly among minors.

[NBC Philadelphia]