Bill Would Define E-Cigarettes As Tobacco Products In Michigan

Efforts to keep electronic cigarettes out of the hands of minors continue this week in Lansing.

A state House panel will hold a hearing Tuesday on the issue.

We have more from The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Jake Neher.

E-cigarettes produce a nicotine-laced vapor. But they don’t contain any actual tobacco. That means the products don’t fall under Michigan’s tobacco laws. A new bipartisan bill would define e-cigarettes as tobacco products. But it would also exempt them from the state’s tobacco tax.

State Representative Gail Haines is the bill’s sponsor. She says it’s all about keeping the products away from kids.

   “It does not tax e-cigarettes and it does not limit adult use,” she says.

Haines’ bill reflects what Governor Rick Snyder has said about regulating e-cigarettes. He has distanced himself from other legislation that stops short of defining them as tobacco products.