In a little less than 24 hours, both the Iowa Senate and House voted to ban the sale of all types of electronic cigarettes to minors, even if there’s NO nicotine in the product.
Possession of an e-cigarette would be a crime for a minor, too, if the bill becomes law. Senator Bill Dotzler, a Democrat from Waterloo, says marketers are targeting the under-18 crowd with fruit- and candy-flavored e-cigarettes that don’t contain nicotine.
Dotzler says it’s important for state legislators to act, since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recently-announced regulations don’t address the non-nicotine e-cigarettes being sold to minors.
Senator Joe Bolkcom (BOWL-kum), a Democrat from Iowa City, unsuccessfully argued legislators should tax and regulate e-cigarettes just like regular cigarettes.
Representative Vicki Lensing, a Democrat from Iowa City, says e-cigarettes should be regulated just like regular cigarettes — and banned from public spaces.
Senator Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, voted for the bill, but Feenstra argued it should have gone further.
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The bill cleared both the House and Senate by wide margins. The bill passed the Senate Monday night on a 37 to 12 vote. The vote in the House late Tuesday afternoon was 74 to 23. The measure now goes to Governor Branstad for his consideration.
