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E-Cig Measure Moves To Full Council

An Urban County Council  committee on Tuesday discussed adding e-cigarettes to the city's no-smoking  ordinance.

The measure would put electronic cigarettes in a similar position to tobacco under the city’s smoke free policy, banning their use in public buildings and at the workplace.

Vice Mayor Linda Gorton said it was a matter of public health.

“For me, this is a matter of clean indoor air, and it’s a matter of not making it illegal to sell or buy or use the e-cigarettes.  It’s just don’t use them inside where everybody else breathes the air.   That, to me, is what we’re talking about.”  

Various individuals, including the owner of a local vapor store, said the ban would hurt their businesses, infringe on their rights, and make it harder for smokers to quit. 

Despite their testimony, the committee voted to put the ordinance on the docket.  It will be discussed at the Urban County Council’s next meeting.

Chase Cavanaugh first got on the air as a volunteer reader for Central Kentucky Radio Eye, a local news service for the visually impaired. He began reporting for WUKY in February 2012, after receiving his Master’s degree from the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce.