SAN FRANCISCO — The city’s ban on electronic cigarettes will go to the ballot box in November, giving a possible reprieve to San Francisco vapers and retailers selling the products, CBS affiliate KPIX Channel 5 reported.
The ballot initiative would allow for the sale of e-cigarettes but would put in place stronger age restrictions to keep kids and teens from vaping, the news organization said.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the ban June 25 and Mayor London Breed signed the bill June 28. It will become effective 30 days after that signature date and “operative” six months after that.
Along with the new e-cigarette ban, the board passed a similar ordinance that bans the sale, manufacture and distribution of e-cigarettes on city property.
The Coalition for Reasonable Vaping Regulation, a group funded by San Francisco-based Juul Labs, maker of the popular Juul-branded e-cigarettes, announced July 10 that the San Francisco Department of Elections certified the ballot initiative’s signatures. The coalition submitted 20,302 signatures on July 2, officials said.
The Department of Elections is expected to give a ballot letter to the proposition Aug. 12.
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