Vaping nicotine has taken off in recent years both as an aid to quit smoking or as another kind of habit altogether — especially among young people.

To keep up with the times, Monroe officials are looking to modify city laws to ensure there is no vaping allowed indoors, anywhere, here.

Wisconsin does not have a blanket law banning the act of vaping itself, but it restricts the retail sale of almost all vaping and e-cigarette products. So, officials say, the regulation of the activity is left to the municipalities and towns.

And It’s clear there is a problem — as vaping is by far most popular among young adults ages 18 to 24, with nearly 11% of those of that age in Wisconsin vaping daily. And the addiction to nicotine is just as strong for the user.

For their part, Monroe officials are proposing a ban on vaping indoors similar to what is in place banning smoking publicly indoors. Although some have urged the city go a step farther and act to prevent vaping in outdoor areas too, city officials say they don’t have the ability to do that.

The indoor vaping issue was initially raised by former city Ald. Lynne Kleven at the committee level, but after a vote by the city’s judiciary and ordinance review committee, the measure is moving forward to the city council, level which would then schedule a public hearing on the matter.

“The committee felt that vaping and e-cigarettes should be classified the same as tobacco products and that the city should adopt an overall umbrella ordinance addressing them,” said council meeting minutes.

Former Chief Fred Kelley also has addressed the potential enforcement of such an ordinance, and City Attorney Dan Bartholf is drafting a ordinance for consideration by the full council. According to Kelley, who recently retired, the city wouldn’t actively enforce the ban but with the right ordinance language, it could respond to complaints inside area businesses.

“It’s probably going to be a situation of (police) being notified…rather than (police) seeking this out,” Kelley said, at the May 26 committee meeting.

Approximately 8.3% of Wisconsin adults currently use e-cigarettes, but the habit is heavily concentrated among younger demographics, according to state Department of Human Services (DHS) statistics. About 15.7% of Wisconsin high school students actively vape, with 46% of high school seniors having tried it.

Sweet flavors and mental health struggles are the primary drivers of this epidemic, officials say.

Ald. Heidi Treuthardt said that while some may view vaping as harmless compared to smoking inhaling cigarette smoke, there are still concerns about public safety.

“(By vaping) you are still putting something out that other people have to breathe,” she said.

Kelley said the ordinance may seem obvious to many, but, if passed, would require plenty of public education to spread the word. “I think people may assume it’s already” illegal to vape inside, Kelley said. “The biggest part of deploying something like this is the education side of it.”

City Administrator Brittney Rindy said the matter could appear on an upcoming agenda for consideration by the full common council, with a public hearing on the matter set for as early as July 6.