Electronic cigarettes would be regulated like other tobacco products under a bill passed by the California State Senate last week. The legislation, which heads to the Assembly Friday, would prohibit public e-cigarette usage wherever the real thing is currently banned. Backers of the bill say the battery-powered disposable devices, which produce a nicotine vapor, still pose health risks to users and those around them. But industry groups say e-cigarettes provide a safer alternative to smokers looking to quit.

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