San Francisco intends to become the first American city to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes. The measure is part of the effort to reduce smoking among young people.

To ban the sale and distribution of electronic cigarettes while the US government did not assess their health effects. That's why the authorities in San Francisco voted. In order to become a law, the text must be subject to a subsequent vote. However, the measure is the first of its kind in the United States.

Shamon Walton, San Francisco Supervisory Board: There are nicotine addicts, nicotine-dependent young people who have never touched a real cigarette.

According to statistics, the number of American teens who admit to having used tobacco products for the past 30 days is steadily increasing. For only a year, their number has grown by over one million. Experts believe that this trend is largely due to electronic cigarettes.

But critics of the ban claim that it would make it harder for young people to release from addiction.