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Politics & Government

DC to Ban E-Cigarettes?

Two council members are seeking to ban the tobacco alternative from public places.

Electronic cigarettes—an increasingly popular alternative to traditional tobacco products—soon may be classified as cigarettes and therefore banned in all public places and on sidewalks in DC, according to a recent Washington Post story.

District Council Members Yvette M. Alexander (D-Ward 7) and David Grosso (I-At Large) introduced a bill that would end the trend of "e-cigarettes" being used in restaurants, bars, Metrobuses and office buildings.

Alexander, chairwoman of the District government’s health committee, described the e-cigarettes as being "used to usurp the smoking ban" and stated that "we don’t know what the ill effects of [the e-cigarettes] are, and it’s still a bother to some people."

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Other cities and state governments are getting involved in e-cigarettes. Utah lawmakers introduced a bill to tax and ban the sale of e-cigarettes online, Connecticut is considering banning the e-cigarettes' use indoors, and New York state may ban them entirely.

The Maryland Transit Administration, which operates MARC trains, does not allow the smoking of e-cigarettes on trains. They also are not allowed on Amtrak trains.

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The Post article quoted a spokesperson from Blue Cigs, a manufacturer of e-cigarettes, as complaining that "from misinformed lawmakers to scared big tobacco companies, actions are being made to limit the sale and use of electronic cigarettes."

While some people are using the electronic version to try and quit using traditional tobacco cigarettes, Council Member Alexander takes the opposite view, telling The Post that the e-cigs "may encourage more people to start smoking."

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