San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors passed the first blanket ban on e-cigarette sales in the U.S. on Tuesday.
The measure, which prohibits the sale, distribution and manufacture of e-cigarettes, will now need to be signed by Mayor London Breed.
Many states, cities and counties ban vaping in the same places where regular cigarettes are prohibited,...
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors passed the first blanket ban on e-cigarette sales in the U.S. on Tuesday.
The measure, which prohibits the sale, distribution and manufacture of e-cigarettes, will now need to be signed by Mayor London Breed.
Many states, cities and counties ban vaping in the same places where regular cigarettes are prohibited, including restaurants and workplaces, but none of those measures goes as far as the San Francisco ordinance.
Aimed at combating the rise in teen vaping, the ban would take effect seven months after the mayor signs the ordinance. Under the measure, violators could be subject to a $1,000 fine or other penalties.
It would remain in place until the Food and Drug Administration approves the marketing of e-cigarettes. The FDA has given e-cigarette companies, including Juul Labs Inc., until 2022 to submit their products for a health review.
Juul is one of San Francisco’s fastest-growing startups, and it dominates the e-cigarette industry. The company has criticized the ban, saying it doesn’t effectively address underage use.
After the Tuesday vote, a Juul spokesman said the ban “will drive former adult smokers who successfully switched to vapor products back to deadly cigarettes,” as well as “deny the opportunity to switch for current adult smokers.”
High-school and middle-school students’ use of nicotine products significantly increased between 2017 and 2018, primarily because of the rise in e-cigarette usage, a joint study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA found in February. The study also showed that e-cigarettes were the most commonly used nicotine product, with 3.6 million students in high school and middle school having used an e-cigarette.
The CDC hasn’t endorsed e-cigarettes as an aid to quit smoking and has called them not safe for youth, young adults, pregnant women, or adults who don’t currently use tobacco products. But the agency has said e-cigarettes may help nonpregnant adult smokers if used as a complete substitute for all cigarettes and other smoked tobacco products.
Write to Talal Ansari at Talal.Ansari@wsj.com