City Council Approves Ban of E-Cigarettes For Minors – No Public Use Ban

Abilene has been in an uproar since the news broke that the city council was considering the ban of e-cigarettes in public places. A recent poll shows that 76% of Abilene opposes such ban and following a public hearing, the council have made their decision.

At this time, the only decision was to approve the ban of e-cigarettes for minors. Meaning, those under 18 can not buy or use e-cigarettes. The city council did NOT ban the use of e-cigarettes in public places or make any other changes to the smoking ordinance.

Abilene instituted a smoking ordinance at the beginning of 2007. The current smoking ordinance pertains to tobacco related smoking (cigarettes, cigars, etc), but an addendum could mean the addition of e-cigarettes.

While the 'jury is still out' on the health benefits and side-effects of vaping (e-cigarettes), many use the device as an aid to quit smoking traditional tobacco.

Here are the results from the poll about the proposed e-cigarette ban.