In a little less than 24 hours, both the Iowa Senate and House have voted to ban the sale of all types of electronic cigarettes to minors, even if there’s NO nicotine in the product. Possession of an e-cigarette would be a crime for a minor, too, if the bill becomes law. Senator Bill Dotzle, a Democrat from Waterloo, says marketers are targeting the under-18 crowd with fruit- and candy-flavored e-cigarettes that don’t contain nicotine.
Dotzler says it’s important for state legislators to act, since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recently-announced regulations don’t address the non-nicotine e-cigarettes being sold to minors.
Senator Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, voted for the bill, but Feenstra argued it should have gone further.
The bill cleared both the House and Senate by wide margins. The bill passed the Senate Monday night on a 37 to 12 vote. The vote in the House late Tuesday afternoon was 74 to 23. The measure now goes to Governor Branstad for his consideration.
