Brighton Police Chief Rob Bradford gave the Brighton City Council an update on the status of the pending city ordinance governing “vaping” by minors at its meeting Thursday night. While vaping is illegal for minors under the age of 18 under federal law, Michigan is the only state in the nation in which vaping by minors is not illegal. And federal law doesn’t bar minors from possessing vaping products.

The city is looking at enacting an ordinance that would ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors and possession of e-cigarettes or vaping products by minors. City officials have been told that at one Brighton school over 100 e-cigarettes or vaping devices were confiscated last year. In addition to the addictive drug nicotine, e-cigarettes can also contain volatile organic compounds and heavy metals, including lead, nickel and tin.

Bradford says the city wants to implement an ordinance that would keep e-cigarettes from getting into the hands of minors, and go after businesses that sell such products to minors. Bradford says marijuana is now also being sold for vaping, which concerns him even more. Bradford says a violation of the pending vaping ordinance will be a civil infraction. He says the amount of the fine for violating the ordinance is under review. (TT)