Alabama Senator Proposes Expansion of Clean Indoor Air Act to Include E-Cigarettes

Aug.12

A Republican senator in Alabama has introduced a bill to extend the state’s smoking ban to e-cigarettes, prohibiting their use in restaurants, malls, and other enclosed public spaces. Violators would face a $25 fine. The proposal also seeks to rename the legislation in honor of a Democratic lawmaker who played a key role in advancing the original anti-smoking law.

Key points:

·Bill content: Include e-cigarettes in the existing "Clean Indoor Air Act" regulations

·Penalty standard: Those who smoke e-cigarettes in public places will face a $25 fine

·Legislative background: The state of Alabama implemented a public smoking ban only 20 years ago, making it one of the latest in the U.S.

·Legislative timeline: The state legislature will commence discussions on this proposal on January 13th.

According to a report on August 11th, a senator in Alabama proposed banning the use of e-cigarettes in public places under the current anti-smoking laws.

Republican Senator Gerald Allen from Cottondale has introduced a bill to expand the scope of the 2003 Alabama Clean Indoor Air Act.

Current laws prohibit smoking in most enclosed public places, including retail stores, restaurants, government buildings, shopping malls, elevators, hospitals, nursing homes, airports, banks, etc. Those who violate this law will be fined $25.

Allen's bill will include "use of e-cigarettes" in the legal definition of smoking.

In 2024, Ellen proposed the same bill but it did not pass. Alabama was one of the last states to ban smoking in public places over 20 years ago, after the US Environmental Protection Agency listed secondhand smoke as a known human carcinogen in the 1990s.

A study published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine found that indoor e-cigarette use may expose non-users to nicotine, but not to the toxic combustion products found in secondhand tobacco smoke. The study pointed out, "More research is needed to evaluate the health effects of secondhand nicotine exposure, especially on vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, and individuals with cardiovascular diseases.

Democratic Senator Vivian Davis Figures from Mobile spent about six years pushing through Alabama's "Clean Indoor Air Act." Allen's bill includes recognition for her Senate colleague, proposing to rename the law as the "Vivian Davis Figures Clean Indoor Air Act.

The legislative session will begin on January 13, 2026.

References:

[1] Vaping in public would be banned in Alabama under proposed bill

Also Read:

[1] California, USA plans to introduce a draft "flavorless tobacco list" – only products identified on the list can be legally sold

[2] Texas BISD Implements Strict Policy on E-Cigarettes, Mandating Minimum 10-Day Suspension or Alternative Education Program for Offending Students

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