Lawmakers Defeat Effort To “Water Down” E-Cig Regulations

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Supporters of defining electronic cigarettes in the same light as traditional tobacco have won a key round in the Minnesota Legislature.

By an 11-8 vote Monday, lawmakers pushing for tougher regulations defeated an effort to pare a bill back. The Senate Finance Committee has sent a bill putting the e-cigarette devices under the indoor air act to the floor for a vote. That means they would be barred wherever standard smokes are. It also makes clear that sales to minors are forbidden.

The vote to preserve wider use restrictions split more along geographic lines than party lines.

The House e-cigarettes bill is confined to measures meant to bar sales from minors and keep the devices out of schools. It hasn't been voted on but could be this week.