NEWS
Vaping In
Public
...................
g
enerally in the UK you can vape
in public as, unlike for smoking,
there is no specific law to say
that you cannot.
So if you are in a public space such as
walking down the street then you can
vape away to your heart’s content.
However it is less straightforward when
you are in a private building to which the
public have access.
In this case there is no law which
automatically forbids you from vaping.
So you could go to a pub, a cinema or
shopping mall and smoke e-cigarettes
without breaking any laws.
That’s the good news but the bad news
is that this does not mean that you will
actually be allowed to do so.
The owners or managers of property
to which the public have access have
the legal right to say what can and what
cannot be done on their property (as
long as they do not break existing laws in
the process.)
So a shopping mall in one town may
allow vaping but a similar mall in the next
town may not.
Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, a
big fan of e-cigarettes, found this out for
himself recently when he was allowed to
vape at the Screen Actors Guild Awards
in Los Angeles but not at the Oscars in
Los Angeles.
DiCaprio won his first Oscar for Best
Actor for his role in The Revenant but
the no-vaping rules even apply to Oscar
winners. (However he was seen vaping
when he hit the town after the ceremony
was over.)
This confusion about where you ca n
vape has led social commentators to ask
whether or not it is socially acceptable
to vape indoors, regardless or not of
whether it is banned by law.
A recent article on Vogue’s website said
it was a new etiquette question which
has been highlighted by DiCaprio’s
fondness for vaping in public places.
It said: “The proper protocol regarding
16 ISSUE 04 VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE
electronic
smoking
has been
up for debate ever since the rise of
e-cigarette use.
“Before New York included e-cigarettes
in its no-smoking ban (which prohibits
use in bars, restaurants, offices, parks,
and on beaches), rules on vaping varied
from establishment to establishment. But
does the public e-cigarette ban extend to
private functions?
...................
“The proper
protocol regarding
electronic smoking
has been up for
debate ever
since the rise of
e-cigarette use.”
...................
“In the past few years, vaping has been
making the rounds at many glamorous
circuits: Katy Perry was seen sharing
a vape pen with Orlando Bloom at
this year’s Golden Globes after-party;
Sarah Silverman showed off her liquid
pot pen during the Emmy’s red-carpet
procession in 2014; and, back when she
was still dating Michelle Rodriguez, Cara
Delevingne puffed out tiny vapor rings
while watching a Knicks game.”
The article argued that vaping was far
less offensive than traditional smoking
because the smell from exhaled vapour
is generally quite pleasant and because
it leaves no acrid smells on your clothing
or hair.
However Vogue’s Social Editor Chloe
Malle criticised vapers for being ‘smug’
saying: “There’s a certain smugness
to vaping. “I feel like people think, ‘I’m
allowed to do this, don’t try to stop me’.”
The article discussed whether vaping
in public could be distracting to others
or make non-vapers feel uncomfortable
- both reasons why people may not
choose to do it in public.
Certainly many vapers do not like being
sent to smoking areas if they want to
vape in public and it is easy to see why.
Given that many vapers have given up
vaping, it does seem ironic at the very
least to encourage them to share a
space with smokers when they want to
vape.
For now, at least, it seems that there will
remain confusion about whether in many
public spaces vaping is permitted or not.
Then, even where it is permitted, there
is the dilemma of whether or not you
should vape in public places.