Electronic cigarettes and their tobacco counterparts are now considered equal in the eyes of the Queensland government, which has changed laws to ensure if you can't smoke there, you also can't vape.

Vaping has become such a popular alternative to tobacco cigarettes, the term "vape" was crowned the word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries earlier this week.

Using an e-cigarette will be treated the same as smoking under a new Queensland law. Credit:AP

They have been touted as a healthier alternative to heritage smokes, because instead of using tobacco leaf and the associated ingredients found in cigarettes, e-cigarettes heat liquor nicotine which the user inhales as a vapour.

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said while he believed there was still uncertainty over the device's health risks and effectiveness as a quit-aid, the government wasn't looking to ban them outright.