City Bans E-Cigarette Use in Public Places

Maine's largest city has approved a measure prohibiting the use of e-cigarettes in public places.

The Portland Press Herald reports Portland City Council voted 7-1 in favor of the ban Monday. The measure added e-cigarettes to the city's anti-smoking ordinance, which was updated in 2013 to prohibit smoking in public spaces such as parks, beaches and playgrounds.

Users say e-cigarettes are an effective tool to help quit cigarettes. Unlike nicotine patches and gum, e-cigarettes aren't approved by the Federal Drug Administration as a method to quit smoking.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the number of middle and high schoolers who used an e-cigarette in 2014 surpassed the use of every other tobacco product.

Dozens of towns have already placed restrictions on using e-cigarettes in public.