San Francisco Votes To Ban eCigarettes

In a ban that would be the first of its kind to go into effect in the United States, San Francisco has voted to prohibit the sale of eCigarettes. Now, the measure will go to the mayor to be signed into legislation, Bloomberg reported.

Following the vote, Mayor London Breed has 10 days to look over the law. In the event that Breed signs the measure, the prohibition will come into effect seven months after. However, it was noted that cigarettes, as well as other tobacco products, would still be legal in the city.

While the law is reportedly geared toward all eCigarette firms, the report noted that the legislation “has to feel personal” for San Francisco-based Juul Labs Inc. It is said to be the largest target for critics of vaping, who, according to the report, “say it’s hooking kids on nicotine.”

However, Ted Kwong, a Juul spokesperson, said per reports, “This full prohibition will drive former adult smokers who successfully switched to vapor products back to deadly cigarettes, deny the opportunity to switch for current adult smokers and create a thriving black market instead of addressing the actual causes of underage access and use.”

The news comes as Juul Labs had announced a program earlier this year to track its devices and figure out how they get into the hands of minors, according to reports in April. The Track & Trace program involves the serial numbers on the bottom of the devices used for vaping a nicotine product. As of the time of the report, the company had recently gained the ability to track the serial numbers from the making of the Juul all the way to where it was sold.

Juul Labs was asking parents, teachers and law enforcement officials to visit a page on its site and enter a confiscated device’s serial number. The company said at the time, according to reports, “As part of our efforts to prevent youth use through technological solutions, we are developing a unique product tracking system to better understand how these products are getting into the hands of minors.”