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Snyder opposes e-cigarette rules that don’t classify them as tobacco

Lauri Rantala
/
Wikimedia Commons

The state Senate could vote today on legislation that would ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors. But Governor Rick Snyder says he’s against the bills and hopes lawmakers will adopt a different course.

Snyder says he’s opposed because he wants e-cigarettes to be regulated and taxed the same as tobacco. 

“It’s nicotine,” he says. “It’s a tobacco product. It should be treated as such.”

The governor has already vetoed similar legislation that was sent to his desk last year.

The e-cigarette industry says its products are not as dangerous as tobacco, and can even help some people quit smoking.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to issue federal regulations later this year.

      

Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987.