Hewitt Police Chief Jim Devlin said he’s open to expanding the nonsmoking ordinance to include e-cigarettes, but is more concerned about keeping them from minors.

“There is no state law that prohibits the sale or possession to persons under 18 years of age,” he said.

Devlin plans to recommend to the Hewitt City Council on April 7 an ordinance banning minors from buying or using e-cigarettes.

Devlin began investigating the vaporizers at the beginning of the year when he received complaints of minors using them. He said there is juice without nicotine, but police can’t tell the difference unless the packaging is there.

“I’m kind of getting word from some citizens that their kids are running across it,” he said. “I think the overriding fear is that if it does get in the hands of minors there will be some kind of abuse.”

Nicotine ban

The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District also looks to encourage tobacco-free and nicotine-free living through banning those products on its campus. Starting May 1, all nicotine products will be prohibited, including electronic cigarettes.