DULUTH (AP) - A county in northeastern Minnesota has voted to ban the use of electronic cigarettes in public places.

The ban in St. Louis County treats e-cigarettes like traditional cigarettes, barring their use in public areas such as stores and workplaces. The St. Louis County Board voted 5-2 on the measure Tuesday after a public hearing that lasted nearly three hours.

Duluth, the county seat, has a similar ban. Such measures restricting e-cigarette use have also been enacted in places such as Minneapolis, Bloomington and Edina.

E-cigarettes are devices that deliver nicotine through vapor rather than from burning tobacco.

More From AM 1240 WJON