Even electronic cigarettes could be pushed outside in Philadelphia

Legislation to ban smoking electronic cigarettes indoors in Philadelphia has been introduced in City Council.  

Councilman Bill Green introduced the bill to make electronic cigarettes, which use a heating element to vaporize a liquid solution which may or may not contain nicotine, as illegal to smoke inside a public place as conventional cigarettes. Green says it’s a potential health issue.

“It’s completely unknown, the FDA has not studied the impact of the contacts of the vapor of these cigarettes, but there’s also the just the sort of general atmosphere that we want to maintain in our public places,” he said. 

Although the Nutter administration doesn’t comment on pending legislation, Councilman Green is hopeful it will side with him on the bill. After all, it expands the indoor smoking ban law that Mayor Nutter wrote back when he was on council.

“We have not talked to him about it but hopefully the mayor would want to maintain a smoke-free environment that a lot of people enjoy in the city due to his previous good work.” 

A hearing on the bill has not been scheduled yet.