Gov. Mark Dayton said Tuesday that proposals this year to ban the indoor use of electronic cigarettes may go too far.
In an interview with the Star Tribune, Dayton said that while he would sign a bill to restrict children's ability to buy e-cigarettes, he is likely to oppose proposed restrictions on their use indoors.
"After we came down pretty hard on smokers last session, that's probably enough for this biennium," Dayton said. The state raised taxes on cigarettes last year. "We did enough to smokers last session."
The governor's position may quash the growing movement at the Legislature to restrict where Minnesotans can use the newly popular smokeless devices.
In Minnesota and across the nation, state and local governments are looking at putting e-cigarettes under the same restrictions as tobacco cigarettes. Some have already banned "vaping" in public places. Those restrictions are encountering pushback from e-cigarette users and makers, who say the restrictions hamper their freedom.
Dayton said he does not know whether there is definitive evidence that secondhand vapors pose a danger similar to secondhand smoke.
"Probably everything that you put into the air other than oxygen is some detriment to somebody," the governor said.
At the Minnesota Capitol, senators have readied a ban on all indoor uses of the e-cigarettes for a floor vote. House members are prepared to vote on a version to prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to minors and prohibit the use of e-cigarettes in public schools.