San Francisco votes to ban e-cigarettes not approved by FDA

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to ban the sale of e-cigarettes in city limits if they are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The decision brings San Francisco one step closer to becoming the first U.S. city to ban the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes. A final vote is required before it becomes law.

{mosads}“This temporary moratorium wouldn’t be necessary if the federal government had done its job,” Dennis Herrera, the city’s attorney, said in a statement announcing the decision. “E-cigarettes are a product that, by law, are not allowed on the market without FDA review. For some reason, the FDA has so far refused to follow the law.” 

Herrera said youth e-cigarette use, commonly referred to as vaping, has become “an epidemic.”

“If the federal government is not going to act to protect our kids, San Francisco will,” he said in the statement.

Depending on FDA findings regarding e-cigarettes, San Francisco could lift its temporary ban and once again allow the sale if they are deemed safe.

A federal judge last month ordered the FDA to speed up its reviews of e-cigarettes already on the market.

E-cigarette use has spiked dramatically in recent years, with more Americans vaping than smoking traditional tobacco products.