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A bill that would have banned the use of electronic cigarettes in restaurants and many other public places in Virginia was defeated in a General Assembly committee on Tuesday.

By an 8-4 voice vote, the Senate’s committee on local government set aside the legislation introduced by Sen. John C. Miller, D-Newport News, which sought to include restrictions on e-cigarettes in the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act.

“E-cigarettes have not been fully studied, so there is not a lot that we do know,” Miller told the committee. “We don’t know the potential risks of e-cigarettes.”

The Food and Drug Administration does not currently regulate e-cigarettes, though it is studying the product. Miller said lawmakers should not wait for the FDA to finish its research and should take steps now to protect public health.

“Shouldn’t we err on the side of caution and prohibit their use and protect the health of our children and our constituents?” Miller said during the committee meeting. “If they prove to be safe, I will be back to repeal the law.”

Smoking conventional cigarettes has been prohibited inside Virginia restaurants since 2009, with an exception for eateries that allow smoking only in separately enclosed and ventilated rooms.