Add Chicago to the growing list of cities that now include electronic cigarettes in their smoking bans.
In a 45-to-4 vote, the Chicago City Council approved a measure to prohibit the use of e-cigarettes in restaurants, bars and most other indoor public places in the city. The measure also requires retailers to sell e-cigarettes from behind the counter, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has recently focused on tobacco regulations. The council first took up the issue of including e-cigarettes in the city’s existing smoking ban in December.
Chicago’s move follows similar measures in other municipalities where local officials are filling a gap in rules as they wait for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue federal regulations. New York City became the largest city to pass a nearly identical ban when council members there voted 43-to-8 to prohibit the use of e-cigarettes in locations such as restaurants, bars and city parks where smoking is already banned, asCSNews Online previously reported. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed the measure into law on Dec. 31, his last day in office.
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