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Sedgwick Co. Commission To Consider Allowing Vaping In County Buildings

Ecig Click, flickr Creative Commons

Updated Tuesday, April 19: Commissioners approved the consent agenda item allowing vaping in county buildings in a 3-2 vote Monday night during their meeting in Derby. 

Original story:

The Sedgwick County Commission will consider a change to the policy procedures manual regarding county buildings and county personnel within them. One of the changes will allow vaping.

While smoking tobacco products is prohibited within county buildings, and within certain distances of doors and windows of Sedgwick County buildings, vaping and using e-cigarettes will be OK in some areas. Odorless devices, which deliver nicotine to the user, will be allowed in designated areas within the buildings.

Division heads or elected officials will be responsible for assigning the areas. Whether or not the use of tobacco-less vapor is an aid to smoking or an avenue to help stop smoking is still being debated, but the county's new policy states that the use of e-cigarettes in the workplace, particularly as an aid to giving up smoking, will be allowed.

The policy change is part of the consent agenda and will be taken up during Monday evening's meeting, on the road, in Derby. Derby's plan on the annexation of the Hillsdale addition is also on the agenda.

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Aileen LeBlanc is news director at KMUW. Follow her on Twitter @Aileen_LeBlanc.

To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.