San Francisco bans e-cigarettes

San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes that have not undergone the required Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review and until their health effects are clearer.

Officials voted to ban stores selling the vaporisers and made it illegal for online retailers to deliver to addresses in the city.

The California city is home to Juul Labs, the most popular e-cigarette producer in the US.

Earlier this year the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the national regulator, issued proposed guidelines giving companies until 2021 to apply to have their e-cigarette products evaluated.

A deadline had initially been set for August 2018, but the agency later said that more preparation time was needed.

Backers said they hope the legislation will curb underage use of e-cigarettes, but critics said the ban will make it harder for adults to purchase an alternative to regular cigarettes.

Via CNN