UC Irvine To Allow E-Cigarettes, Chewing Tobacco Despite UC Ban

IRVINE (CBSLA.com) — The University of California Irvine will allow students and staff to puff electronic cigarettes and chew tobacco on campus, despite a university-wide ban that took effect Wednesday.

The UC system is mandating a smoke-free learning environment at nine campuses in 2014, with smoking prohibited at all indoor and outdoor campus areas, including inside one's car while on campus.

KNX 1070's Mike Landa reports UC Irvine's decision to allow electronic cigarettes and chewing tobacco sets it apart from the other eight campuses.

Scott Ondap, president of an anti-smoking club at UCI, told the Orange County Register the policy will encourage more students to start puffing nicotine vapors.

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, let users inhale nicotine-laced liquid as a vapor.

The health effects of e-cigarettes, are not fully understood, according to a campus spokesman.