NEWS
FOR THE LAST TIME OF TELLING YOU…
VAPING IS NOT THE
SAME AS SMOKING
THERE IS WIDESPREAD
GENERAL SUPPORT FOR
EFFORTS TO BAN SMOKING
IN PUBLIC SPACES ON
HEALTH GROUNDS.
We know smoking is bad for the
smoker and for those around them
who are forced to inhale second-hand
tobacco smoke.
Studies have shown that among the
general public there is still a lot of
confusion about whether vaping is really
smoking but in a more modern context.
Vapers, on the other hand, are totally
clear on the matter and will soon put
friends, family members or colleagues
right if they were asked: “Hey how long
have you been smoking on that thing?”
The answer is always the same:
“Vaping is not the same as smoking.
It is not smoking.”
So it should come as little surprise to
find that a US study has found that the
majority of e-cigarette users have vaped
in a smoke-free environment and most
don’t view use of the devices as harmful
to themselves or others.
Nearly three quarters of users opposed
banning e-cigarette use in public spaces
that are designated as non-smoking, and
younger users are most likely to consider
all spaces a cceptable for vaping,
38 ISSUE 07 VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE
surveys found.
According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, e-cigarette use
is on the rise in the US and around 4% of
adults currently use the devices,
Most states have banned tobacco
smoking in public areas and workplaces,
but most do not have any laws with
regard to the use of e-cigarettes.
A new study from the University of
California, San Diego (UCSD) School of
Medicine found that:
60% of e-cigarette users said they
had vaped in an area where smoking
was banned.
Among 18-29 year-olds, nearly three
quarters had used e-cigarettes in smokefree areas, while older adults were less
likely to do so.
People who vaped every day were twice
as likely as occasional users to vape in
smoke-free places.
The most common places people
reported vaping were service venues
like bars and restaurants, followed
by workplaces.
E-cigarette users also reported vaping in
malls, movie theaters and even hospitals
and schools.
Most users said that others reacted
neutrally to them vaping in smoke-free
areas, and only 2.5 percent reported
getting negative reactions.
Nearly all (89%), e-cigarette users
believed that e-cigarettes are less
harmful than cigarettes. Around 62%
believed that e-cigarettes are not
harmful at all while 83% said
second-hand vapour is not harmful.
Among the reasons given for banning
smoking and vaping in public places is
that one aspect of the smoking ban is to
make cigarettes seem less like a ‘normal’
lifestyle choice.
The argument runs that because the
general public may confuse someone
vaping for someone smoking, then
allowing people to vape in public runs
counter to the desire of making smoking
seem less normal.
Perhaps a counter argument could be
that normalising vaping would go a
long way to achieve the goal of making
smoking seem less normal.
Also while it is true that the first
generation of e-cigarettes did look a
lot like the traditional cigarettes they
replaced, the same cannot be said for
our modern devices.
Even from a distance it is clear who
is smoking and who is vaping and the
distinction is even clearer up close…
for one thing that sickening odour of
cigarette smoke is totally lacking
from vaping.