By Kurt Erickson

Times Bureau

SPRINGFIELD — After years of banning inmates from smoking cigarettes, two Illinois counties are allowing jail inmates to use the electronic version while they are stuck behind bars.

Just weeks after White County officials signed a deal with a distributor to provide the nicotine-infused vapor inhalers at the lockup in Carmi, the Saline County Sheriff's Department has joined what could be a growing trend.

Two counties in Illinois are now allowing inmates to use e-cigarettes while locked up. Other counties could follow suit. (Image John Schultz/Quad-City Times)

Williamson County officials say they have been approached about stocking their jail commissary with the product but haven't yet decided whether they will participate.

And Franklin and Wabash counties also are considering making e-cigarettes available.

However, Quad-City area jails are not open to the prospect of e-cigarettes.

"We went to a no-smoking policy close to 20 years ago and we're not going to deviate from that," said Rock Island County Sheriff Jeff Boyd. "There could just be too many issues with people not able to afford them while others may have them. There could be fights over them."

Scott County Sheriff Dennis Conard was more blunt.

"Not any way in hell are we going to allow those," Conard said.

Full story: Counties embracing e-cigarette use by jail inmates