COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Columbia City Council members are studying whether to ban indoor use of electronic cigarettes and raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products in the city to 21.
The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to send the proposal to a city health and substance abuse board for review. A final version of the proposal would then be presented to the City Council.
The proposed restriction on electronic cigarettes follows last week's vote by the Legislature to override Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of a bill barring sales of the devices to people under 18.
The city banned smoking in indoor public spaces in 2007 and the minimum age for tobacco purchases is now 18.
First Ward Councilwoman Ginny Chadwick said increasing the minimum age for smoking would make it easier to spot underage smokers and make youth smoking less acceptable.
"This decrease will create lasting benefits on the prevalence of tobacco use and save thousands of lives in Columbia," Chadwick said.
Jonathan Sessions, a member of the Columbia Board of Education, said 18-year-old students in the city's schools currently can legally buy tobacco products and distribute them to younger students.
And Dan Rader, a member of the Substance Abuse Advisory Commission and co-owner of Bengal's Bar and Grill in downtown Columbia, said staff and patrons at his restaurant have had problems when they confused the electronic cigarettes with cigarettes. He said tobacco restrictions should be the same as those in place for alcohol.
"I think it's become quite clear over time that cigarettes are harmful," Rader said. "Bringing that minimum age more in line with the minimum age for alcohol, it makes sense."