Last week, Tempe became the first Arizona city to ban the use of electronic cigarettes in bars, restaurants and enclosed public spaces. That move was significant because e-cigarettes are exempt from the 2006 Smoke Free Arizona Act. Now one other Valley city is considering a similar ban.

The Town of Gilbert is considering a ban on e-cigarettes in city-owned buildings. At a recent meeting, the town council asked its staff to research its options to regulate e-cigarettes.

Christian Stumpf is with the American Lung Association of the Southwest. He says cities like Tempe and Gilbert are wise to err on the side of caution.

"You would rather take a cautious approach, let some studies take place, figure out, you know, what’s in them," Stumpf said. "Because I mean, the biggest, the biggest threat is that we don’t know what the short- or long-term health implication are for the user or the person who’s taking it in secondhand."

Stumpf said the American Lung Association would support a state law that would treat e-cigarettes the same as tobacco products. Right now, he doesn’t see any movement in that direction.