s/o on swearing in public (kind of): Vaping in public?

[Tenaj]

The swearing around kids thread made me wonder about the same question with vaping?  We had never run into it before this  just past baseball season but one of my kids had a large contingency of parents using vapes at the games.  We have a no smoking by the dugouts policy and most smokers walk pretty far away from the spectators and players if they want to smoke during games.  However, the people who vape would just stay in their seats, in the crowd, beside the dugout and do their thing. 

 

Once when I was working the the concession stand I had noticed the billows of steam from their group.  Right after that a man came up to the window and said, "Wow, I didn't know you guys made cotton candy here.  That's great!  How much is it?"  For a second, I was confused, then I realized the sweet smell was from the vaping group.

 

Have you seen organizations making policies about this?  I'm not part of the board of our baseball association, and they did post prominent "No Smoking" signs on all the dugouts this year.    I guess the no smoking signs would apply but maybe I'm missing something?

 

Just wondering what the general opinion is?  Like I said, it's the first time we've ever run into the situation.  I didn't know whether to say something or not.   

[poppy]

Vaping isn't smoking according to some vapers- and the law hasn't caught up with common sense unfortunately.

[Spryte]

Vaping isn't smoking according to some vapers- and the law hasn't caught up with common sense unfortunately.

Yep. This. They are so caught up in the hype that it's perfectly healthy, they can't imagine anyone being bothered by it.

 

We only know one person who does this, the wife of a work associate of DH's, and she is completely convinced that it's not smoking, and it's just fine. She even blew smoke in DS's face. DS has asthma and allergies. Grrrrrrr.

 

We need laws.

[Guest]

Vaping doesn't bother me one bit. Smoking only bothers me in a closed space, as I'm very sensitive to the smell. Just like I wouldn't ask someone drinking but behaving themselves to leave an area I wouldn't do it for vaping either.

 

I am really, really happy for the smokers in my life who have been able to transition to vaping after years of issues with cigarettes. They are definitely feeling better and having less respiratory symptoms, and scaling down nicotine to quit vaping is much easier than trying to smoke less cigarettes, since the frequency doesn't have to be adjusted for the dose to be changed. My safety concerns are primarily about keeping refilling supplies totally secure to prevent accidental concentrated nicotine exposure. But for them it's a much better alternative and I'm grateful for it.

 

/person who has never smoked anything in her life.

Edited July 2, 2016 by Arctic Mama

[Guest]

My dh's company had to make a policy on it about two or three years ago. It got completely out of control with the developers using it in the office. Constantly. It was on the verge of getting ugly and so HR stepped in. It will also cause you to be labeled as a smoker on your health insurance with his company- as it's the nicotine that's going to show up. They don't differentiate system of delivery. Those two together kind of nipped it in the bud.

 

We haven't really run into besides that. The businesses and restaurants around here also tend to prohibit it, maybe that's a regional thing. But here I think it's treated the same as smoking in most places and the same rules apply.

 

ETA- the signs here I've seen say "smoking and vaping prohibited" or something similar. They do list vaping as its own thing.

Edited July 2, 2016 by texasmom33

[MotherGoose]

Vaping doesn't bother me one bit. Smoking only bothers me in a closed space, as I'm very sensitive to the smell. Just like I wouldn't ask someone drinking but behaving themselves to leave an area I wouldn't do it for vaping either.

It doesn't bother me either. I don't like it, mind you, but I'm not going to get worked up over it, especially outside.

[Guest]

As for whether signage and laws should apply equally, in many municipalities they do. So I'd expect them to be enforced consistently.

[KungFuPanda]

I'm starting to see "No Smoking or Vaping" signs pop up. On private property you can do what you want.

[TranquilMind]

The swearing around kids thread made me wonder about the same question with vaping?  We had never run into it before this  just past baseball season but one of my kids had a large contingency of parents using vapes at the games.  We have a no smoking by the dugouts policy and most smokers walk pretty far away from the spectators and players if they want to smoke during games.  However, the people who vape would just stay in their seats, in the crowd, beside the dugout and do their thing. 

 

Once when I was working the the concession stand I had noticed the billows of steam from their group.  Right after that a man came up to the window and said, "Wow, I didn't know you guys made cotton candy here.  That's great!  How much is it?"  For a second, I was confused, then I realized the sweet smell was from the vaping group.

 

Have you seen organizations making policies about this?  I'm not part of the board of our baseball association, and they did post prominent "No Smoking" signs on all the dugouts this year.    I guess the no smoking signs would apply but maybe I'm missing something?

 

Just wondering what the general opinion is?  Like I said, it's the first time we've ever run into the situation.  I didn't know whether to say something or not.   

 

It  is damaging to those who have to inhale it (including second hand), it smells horrible, it is prohibited in Leases, and no one should do this anywhere where other humans have to breathe. 

 

[LucyStoner]

Actually vaping can INCREASE nicotine dependency because people can now access it without leaving the office/going outside/going to a smoking area. So they do it more and then when someone switches back to cigarettes they may well have a larger habit than they did. I noticed this with two different secretaries when I was working FT. And the smell bothers me and was unprofessional looking to our funders/donors I was taking on tours of who were meeting me in the office. So we made a no vaping policy in the office.

 

We don't have many (any?) smoking parents in our little league but if someone was vaping in the bleachers, I would expect that the league would likely clarify the smoking policy to include vaping.

Edited July 2, 2016 by LucyStoner

[LucyStoner]

Vaping doesn't bother me one bit. Smoking only bothers me in a closed space, as I'm very sensitive to the smell. Just like I wouldn't ask someone drinking but behaving themselves to leave an area I wouldn't do it for vaping either.

If some one were drinking at a youth sporting event (the context of the OP) I think that would be shut down here pretty fast. None of the parks our Little League uses allow alcohol.

[abcmommy]

I saw someone doing it at the pool recently.  They look so dumb.  

 

Not all those vaping liquids have nicotine in them.

 

Anyway I imagine the law will catch up.

[Tenaj]

It  is damaging to those who have to inhale it (including second hand), it smells horrible, it is prohibited in Leases, and no one should do this anywhere where other humans have to breathe. 

 

 

I have been doing a bit of research into this today because I had been told that it wasn't dangerous.  It does appear that studies are showing dangers.  

 

I can understand how it could be a  good step for someone trying to kick the smoking habit and I really wouldn't mind if it wasn't going on right beside the kids and the rest of the crowd.   

 

I guess I'll make the suggestion to the powers-that-be that the signage be amended to include vaping next year at the ball parks. 

 

I did notice that if I didn't move away when they started, I would develop a head-ache.  It was probably all in my "head" (LOL!). 

[MotherGoose]

I'm playing the "Devil's advocate" (or giving food for thought?) for lack of a better expression here, so please don't attack me personally. I do not like smoking or vaping (and do neither) but would certainly rather be around a Vaper than a smoker. Just wondering this: where does a line exist as far as a persons right to avoid air pollution by others? Say I want to grill a steak, but you hate charcoal smell, and I really really like steaks and grill them 5/7 days, especially on lovely afternoons when you want to sit On your porch. The smell wafts across the fence to your yard. Do you have the right to tell me to stop? What if I heat my house with wood and you hate the smell of wood smoke (which is, most likely, more potentially damaging to your health than exposure to vaping at the ball field. ) Or I am clearing land and have an enormous pile of brush that the county has given me permission to burn--and it takes days, a week, to get it burned away. Your dogs poop smells, and I don't like your cow pasture either. And you need to get that oil leak fixed in your car (but the state has done away with inspections, so there's no law making you fix it) but when you warm up your car every morning I have to smell exhaust. Or maybe we live in apartments and you are a crazy clean freak, bleaching everything, and so I smell bleach and cleaners and stuff whenever I walk by your door, as well as the smell from the mop bucket you put by the doorstep. You don't want to use the "green" ones because you don't think they work as well as chlorox. Just curious what people think. I do not smoke or vape so I have no dog in this fight.

[poppy]

I'm playing the "Devil's advocate" (or giving food for thought?) for lack of a better expression here, so please don't attack me personally. I do not like smoking or vaping (and do neither) but would certainly rather be around a Vaper than a smoker. Just wondering this: where does a line exist as far as a persons right to avoid air pollution by others? Say I want to grill a steak, but you hate charcoal smell, and I really really like steaks and grill them 5/7 days, especially on lovely afternoons when you want to sit On your porch. The smell wafts across the fence to your yard. Do you have the right to tell me to stop? What if I heat my house with wood and you hate the smell of wood smoke (which is, most likely, more potentially damaging to your health than exposure to vaping at the ball field. ) Or I am clearing land and have an enormous pile of brush that the county has given me permission to burn--and it takes days, a week, to get it burned away. Your dogs poop smells, and I don't like your cow pasture either. And you need to get that oil leak fixed in your car (but the state has done away with inspections, so there's no law making you fix it) but when you warm up your car every morning I have to smell exhaust. Or maybe we live in apartments and you are a crazy clean freak, bleaching everything, and so I smell bleach and cleaners and stuff whenever I walk by your door, as well as the smell from the mop bucket you put by the doorstep. You don't want to use the "green" ones because you don't think they work as well as chlorox. Just curious what people think. I do not smoke or vape so I have no dog in this fight.

 

There is absolutely no reason for anyone to smoke.   

I have smoked, I am not lecturing or holier than anyone, hear me out.....

 

I see this first hand because I live in an area where smoking rates are fairly low - less than 10%, and I never see smokers except once in a while outside a bar at night (MA, well-off area).

And I frequently visit my parents town where smoking is common and there are vape shops all over (WVa, poor region). Drive down a town street, you'll see people smoking.  Go to any restaurant, people are smoking outside.  I've seen people vaping indoors in places like shopping mall.

 

See the map here for an idea of how widely rates of smoking vary: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/#states

 

I think vaping is a disaster.  It's making smoking cool again.  Right when we've figured out that it really is possible to make it NOT a part of normal culture. 

[Tenaj]

I'm playing the "Devil's advocate" (or giving food for thought?) for lack of a better expression here, so please don't attack me personally. I do not like smoking or vaping (and do neither) but would certainly rather be around a Vaper than a smoker. Just wondering this: where does a line exist as far as a persons right to avoid air pollution by others? Say I want to grill a steak, but you hate charcoal smell, and I really really like steaks and grill them 5/7 days, especially on lovely afternoons when you want to sit On your porch. The smell wafts across the fence to your yard. Do you have the right to tell me to stop? What if I heat my house with wood and you hate the smell of wood smoke (which is, most likely, more potentially damaging to your health than exposure to vaping at the ball field. ) Or I am clearing land and have an enormous pile of brush that the county has given me permission to burn--and it takes days, a week, to get it burned away. Your dogs poop smells, and I don't like your cow pasture either. And you need to get that oil leak fixed in your car (but the state has done away with inspections, so there's no law making you fix it) but when you warm up your car every morning I have to smell exhaust. Or maybe we live in apartments and you are a crazy clean freak, bleaching everything, and so I smell bleach and cleaners and stuff whenever I walk by your door, as well as the smell from the mop bucket you put by the doorstep. You don't want to use the "green" ones because you don't think they work as well as chlorox. Just curious what people think. I do not smoke or vape so I have no dog in this fight.

 

I think this may come back to private property vs. public property?  The ballpark is public (school)  property so I'm assuming they may have the right to post no vaping signs.  

 

I don't have the right to tell you what to do on your property, unless it directly affects my property and I'm guessing that smells (since they are generally temporary) wouldn't fall into the category of affecting my property.  I do think there are times and places where you can be fined or penalized for smells on your property . . for instance, a livestock farmer has to take reasonable measures to control manure and can be cited if it gets out of hand. Or, if the dog poop gets out of hand there are rules in place to declare properties a public nuisance.

 

My son and daughter-in-law live in an apartment that they can't wait to move out of because the smell of the marijuana that their neighbors smoke wafts into their apartment.  They haven't made an issue of it because they will only be there another year or so.  Not sure if there is a law about that or not (other than the obvious that in our state, it is still illegal to smoke pot).  

 

Honestly, after being around the vaping this season on this one team, I can tolerate regular smoking much better than the sickly sweet smell of the vaping.  I think there are different flavors but the one(s) this group used  was a super sweet smell that just hangs in the air.  It must be a very new trend around here because I haven't smelled another flavors yet.

 

There was one cheery part about the vaping crowd.  One of their number evidently switched from chewing tobacco to vaping during the season.  I didn't mind the vaping nearly as much as I did his previous habit of spitting everywhere - eeek!   We saw him hit shoes of other people.  That was worse than the vaping!!!  As I'm typing, I'm realizing that the issues with this particular group were probably more issues of common courtesy rather than anything to do with their nicotine.

 

 

Edited July 2, 2016 by JanOH

[SparklyUnicorn]

I've never smelled vaping.  What's it like?  If it didn't smell bad I wouldn't care. 

 

I do think it's incredibly obnoxious at a kid's game though.

 

I imagine here they will soon pass laws banning it in various places.

 

 

[Tenaj]

 

 

I think vaping is a disaster.  It's making smoking cool again.  Right when we've figured out that it really is possible to make it NOT a part of normal culture. 

 

This is what I saw.  Someone upthread said they looked "dumb" vaping.   I didn't see it that way at all.  They all had those cool little hand-held delivery systems in cool colors.  They didn't look dumb at all . . .they looked modern and "cool" and they were doing it in front of a bunch of impressionable little 9 and 10 year old boys.  

[MotherGoose]

I've never smelled vaping. What's it like? If it didn't smell bad I wouldn't care.

 

I do think it's incredibly obnoxious at a kid's game though.

 

I imagine here they will soon pass laws banning it in various places.

The one person I've been around who Vaped must have had an unscented version?? I don't know. It didn't bother me. Oh and I thought of another thing...what about people who wear loud perfume, laundry detergent, etc. We switched to unscented laundry detergent and don't do dryer sheets or fabric softener because I didn't want to have to wash my baby's things separately, and now whenever I'm around someone who is a religious user of scented laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets, it's very irritating. Nauseating, in fact.

[Guest]

There is absolutely no reason for anyone to smoke.

I have smoked, I am not lecturing or holier than anyone, hear me out.....

 

I see this first hand because I live in an area where smoking rates are fairly low - less than 10%, and I never see smokers except once in a while outside a bar at night (MA, well-off area).

And I frequently visit my parents town where smoking is common and there are vape shops all over (WVa, poor region). Drive down a town street, you'll see people smoking. Go to any restaurant, people are smoking outside. I've seen people vaping indoors in places like shopping mall.

 

See the map here for an idea of how widely rates of smoking vary: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/#states

 

I think vaping is a disaster. It's making smoking cool again. Right when we've figured out that it really is possible to make it NOT a part of normal culture.

Those demographics were fascinating. It's interesting that non-straight identifying individuals and people with disabilities had significantly higher percentages. I wonder why? On a different note, I had a colleague who worked on smoking cessation studies and her research found that a decent percentage of people who smoked were self medicating, particularly people diagnosed with depression. It's all very interesting to me. I am a former smoker and will fully admit it's a total upper. And it helps keep you skinny. There are probably a million reasons people smoke.

 

Restaurants with smoking and non smoking sections used to not bother me. But since we did away with smoking, even in bars a while back, I think it would bother me to go back to that. But outside it doesn't really get to me. I'm going to stand next to it, but I think they have a right to smoke without going to Antarctica is they aren't standing at the door. Most places here have a certain range from entrances/exits you have to be to smoke. These days I'm more worried about crazy lone wolf terrorists and building safety than smokers.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'm playing the "Devil's advocate" (or giving food for thought?) for lack of a better expression here, so please don't attack me personally. I do not like smoking or vaping (and do neither) but would certainly rather be around a Vaper than a smoker. Just wondering this: where does a line exist as far as a persons right to avoid air pollution by others? Say I want to grill a steak, but you hate charcoal smell, and I really really like steaks and grill them 5/7 days, especially on lovely afternoons when you want to sit On your porch. The smell wafts across the fence to your yard. Do you have the right to tell me to stop? What if I heat my house with wood and you hate the smell of wood smoke (which is, most likely, more potentially damaging to your health than exposure to vaping at the ball field. ) Or I am clearing land and have an enormous pile of brush that the county has given me permission to burn--and it takes days, a week, to get it burned away. Your dogs poop smells, and I don't like your cow pasture either. And you need to get that oil leak fixed in your car (but the state has done away with inspections, so there's no law making you fix it) but when you warm up your car every morning I have to smell exhaust. Or maybe we live in apartments and you are a crazy clean freak, bleaching everything, and so I smell bleach and cleaners and stuff whenever I walk by your door, as well as the smell from the mop bucket you put by the doorstep. You don't want to use the "green" ones because you don't think they work as well as chlorox. Just curious what people think. I do not smoke or vape so I have no dog in this fight.

 

In the case of the food grilling, how often do people grill?  Even if daily, this isn't nearly the amount of time many smokers smoke.  And I can't imagine someone grilling intensely strong food several times a day every single day.  But sure lets say they do, I think it would be obnoxious if it were extreme and bothering a neighbor on a regular basis. 

 

The manure thing, yeah that stinks, but the smell dissipates and after awhile ya can't smell it.  Only time that happens with smoking is if you live in very close proximity to someone who smokes at you on a regular basis (I know because I lived for many years with such a person).  Otherwise that stench is just awful.  And hazardous to your health.

 

I dunno...I don't have much sympathy for smoking. 

 

I have never smelled vaping so no clue what that is like.  It doesn't seem to be common out in public here. 

[MotherGoose]

I think this may come back to private property vs. public property? The ballpark is public (school) property so I'm assuming they may have the right to post no vaping signs.

 

I don't have the right to tell you what to do on your property, unless it directly affects my property and I'm guessing that smells (since they are generally temporary) wouldn't fall into the category of affecting my property. I do think there are times and places where you can be fined or penalized for smells on your property . . for instance, a livestock farmer has to take reasonable measures to control manure and can be cited if it gets out of hand. Or, if the dog poop gets out of hand there are rules in place to declare properties a public nuisance.

 

My son and daughter-in-law live in an apartment that they can't wait to move out of because the smell of the marijuana that their neighbors smoke wafts into their apartment. They haven't made an issue of it because they will only be there another year or so. Not sure if there is a law about that or not (other than the obvious that in our state, it is still illegal to smoke pot).

 

Honestly, after being around the vaping this season on this one team, I can tolerate regular smoking much better than the sickly sweet smell of the vaping. I think there are different flavors but the one(s) this group used was a super sweet smell that just hangs in the air. It must be a very new trend around here because I haven't smelled another flavors yet.

 

There was one cheery part about the vaping crowd. One of their number evidently switched from chewing tobacco to vaping during the season. I didn't mind the vaping nearly as much as I did his previous habit of spitting everywhere - eeek! We saw him hit shoes of other people. That was worse than the vaping!!! As I'm typing, I'm realizing that the issues with this particular group were probably more issues of common courtesy rather than anything to do with their nicotine.

They absolutely have the right to do whatever they want with private property. What I'm thinking is that in many places there are public laws against smoking and, presumably, there may eventually be laws against vaping in public places. So where do laws against stinky, potentially harmful things, stop? Woodsmoke, smoke from grills, smoke from cars, etc. if you bring something I find stinky and harmful into a public place (loud laundry detergent smells--perfumes and dyes have been found to be harmful for example) where's the line? --Or, to bring up an even more sensitive point, should governments outlaw peanuts in all public places because of the possibility of harm?

Edited July 2, 2016 by MotherGoose

[SparklyUnicorn]

Those demographics were fascinating.

 

Here in NY the tax on cigarettes is 75% of the wholesale value.  So a pack hovers around $10.  It's a wonder ANYONE smokes.  But nope, I don't see a lot of smokers at all.  It isn't allowed nearly anywhere and it's insanely expensive.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

I've never heard the word vaping before.

Maybe I need to get out more?

Maybe it's not a thing here in Australia?

 

Is it a quit smoking tool?

[luuknam]

I haven't seen any "no vaping" signs, but I have seen "no tobacco products" signs, which seems smart because it will catch any of those kinds of things, except what does it really matter if someone uses e.g. Snus?

[SparklyUnicorn]

I've never heard the word vaping before.

Maybe I need to get out more?

Maybe it's not a thing here in Australia?

 

Is it a quit smoking tool?

 

They claim it's a quit smoking tool (I call BS on that, but that's another discussion). 

 

http://www.vapersoul.com/what-is-vaping/

That site explains it. 

[MotherGoose]

Here in NY the tax on cigarettes is 75% of the wholesale value. So a pack hovers around $10. It's a wonder ANYONE smokes. But nope, I don't see a lot of smokers at all. It isn't allowed nearly anywhere and it's insanely expensive.

While in Italy (don't know about the rest of Europe) people smoke like freight trains and kids can still buy cigarettes for their parents and even for themselves (don't know exact age limits, but it's not 18).

[Butter]

My brother is a college professor.  A couple years ago he had a student who vaped through every class.  My brother said the sound and smell drove him crazy, but there was no rule against it at the college (no smoking allowed in classrooms obviously).  The next school year they added a no vaping in class policy.  I'm noticing a lot of places adding vaping to no smoking signs.

[The Girls' Mom]

I've seen a few no smoking OR vaping signs start to pop up around here.  I'm glad.  It affects my asthmatic dd just as much as smoke to breathe that garbage.  She was sick for two days after riding in the car with her boyfriend's buddy that vaped the whole time they were out.  I personally don't like walking through a cloud of french vanilla any more than a cloud of smoke. 

[ChocolateReignRemix]

They absolutely have the right to do whatever they want with private property. What I'm thinking is that in many places there are public laws against smoking and, presumably, there may eventually be laws against vaping in public places. So where do laws against stinky, potentially harmful things, stop? Woodsmoke, smoke from grills, smoke from cars, etc. if you bring something I find stinky and harmful into a public place (loud laundry detergent smells--perfumes and dyes have been found to be harmful for example) where's the line? --Or, to bring up an even more sensitive point, should governments outlaw peanuts in all public places because of the possibility of harm?

Actually, someone doesn't always have the right to whatever they want on private property. I suggest you look into private nuisance laws.

[Audrey]

I can honestly say that I've never seen anyone vaping.  I know... I must not get out much, eh?  I do see it for sale in stores, but I don't know anyone who does it and I've not seen it.  IMO, I think it counts as smoking and I'd be a bit pissed off if someone were doing it around kids. 

[Elfknitter.#]

E-cigs were recently classified as a tobacco product in CA: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/tobacco-714983-new-products.html

 

I find the large white clouds of smoke weird compare to a traditional cigarette.

[kiwik]

Here in NY the tax on cigarettes is 75% of the wholesale value. So a pack hovers around $10. It's a wonder ANYONE smokes. But nope, I don't see a lot of smokers at all. It isn't allowed nearly anywhere and it's insanely expensive.

Um. I haven't bought any for 10 years but I believe they are approaching $30 a pack here now. $10 is a distant memory. I have been wondering what vaping is - we don't have it. And i have never heard of anyone in NZ chewing tobacco - it just sounds disgusting.

[Laura Corin]

I walk through clouds of vape occasionally here and I've been wondering how to feel about it.  If there is actually nothing much noxious in the vapour, then I'm not sure that it should be regulated in public places any more than farting or spraying perfume.  I'm not a smoker.

[Tanaqui]

Um. I haven't bought any for 10 years but I believe they are approaching $30 a pack here now. $10 is a distant memory. I have been wondering what vaping is - we don't have it. And i have never heard of anyone in NZ chewing tobacco - it just sounds disgusting.

 

To be clear, $30 NZ is only $21.52 US - so only about twice the cost of NYC cigarettes, not thrice.

[kiwik]

Yes the current exchange rate is about $1.41 NZ to $1 US (well earlier this week when i last looked) but and that is better than it has been for a while. Better as in I can afford to buy from Amazon etc again. So not 3 times as much and I don't think they are $30 yet (at least not for a pack of 20). Someone was telling me how much they were saving through giving up and it was about as much as my rent. The government thinks if it puts the prices up enough people will quit. Rates are dropping a bit.

 

If I got to bann anything it would be strong perfume and aftershave. There are times when I have to remove myself gasping for breath with eyes streaming.

Edited July 3, 2016 by kiwik

[MamaBearTeacher]

I had to google vaping. it has nothing to do with vampires.

 

I am reading that the second-hand smoke is less toxic. As someone who is very sensitive to formaldehyde, I don't know ...

It will probably cause cancer but we just won't figure it out for 40 years.

 

Also propylene glycol isn't the best thing to put in your body. t's the ingredient in antifreeze.

 

If it comes in different scents I imagine it would bother people sensitive to scents.

 

It looks weird too, Like a space age subculture thing. I guess it's better than cigarettes. I absolutely hate the smell of cigarette smoke.

[Murphy101]

Vaping isn't smoking according to some vapers- and the law hasn't caught up with common sense unfortunately.

I do view vaping as smoking and we will get up and leave after complaining to management if they don't request it stop.

[Murphy101]

I walk through clouds of vape occasionally here and I've been wondering how to feel about it. If there is actually nothing much noxious in the vapour, then I'm not sure that it should be regulated in public places any more than farting or spraying perfume. I'm not a smoker.

Actually many work places do ban perfumes because it is a common irritant to people.

[AmandaVT]

Here in NY the tax on cigarettes is 75% of the wholesale value.  So a pack hovers around $10.  It's a wonder ANYONE smokes.  But nope, I don't see a lot of smokers at all.  It isn't allowed nearly anywhere and it's insanely expensive.

 

I'm surprised anyone smokes in NY with the NYquits.com commercials. A few of our local channels are NY stations and those commercials are horrifying!! 

[RKWAcademy]

My 70 year old father quit smoking a few years ago and now uses what must be an unscented e-cig.  I smell nothing when I'm around him.  It's water vapor not smoke.  I consider it a positive move on his part.  He's far from modeling "cool".  He does complain that it's needlessly expensive and has just a tiny bit of nicotine.  He said the stupid fake fire on the end adds to the expense.  So, yes, it can help quit smoking but not nicotine use.  I consider the elimination of his smoke/tar/whatever inhalation the best thing for him. 

[shawthorne44]

I personally hate all forms of smoking.   But, I have no problem with people vaping in public.  Second-hand smoke causes my sinuses such problems that I've always been for indoor smoking bans.    One meal with someone smoking at the table will cause a sinus infection that takes about a year to clear up.

But, I am a Libertarian at heart.  I had to justify my anti-smoking stance with "The right to stretch your arm, ends at your neighbor's (my) nose."    I don't see clear harm in second-hand vaping, so I don't see any problem with allowing vaping.   Even if it is slightly annoying.  

[gardenmom5]

I hate vaping as much as cigarettes - and the people who do, seem to think they don't need to be courterous to others.

[luuknam]

I'm surprised anyone smokes in NY with the NYquits.com commercials. A few of our local channels are NY stations and those commercials are horrifying!! 

 

I live in NY, and I've never seen any of those commercials. Granted, we don't have cable or however one gets local stations, only stuff like Netflix, but lots of people have ditched cable because it's too insanely expensive. Or, they have those things that record a bit and then allow you to fast forward through commercials (don't remember what it's called).

 

ETA: I don't smoke, or vape, or w/e, and never have.

Edited July 3, 2016 by luuknam

[ktgrok]

Vaping, at least certain forms of it, IS hazardous to lungs. It can cause something called popcorn lung, the same illness that workers in microwave popcorn factories got. It is from one of the chemicals in the "vapor" damaging the lungs. It is hardly benign. Of course, one could probably, just using common sense, realize than concentrating chemicals and then purposely inhaling them is probably a bad idea. 

[AmandaVT]

I live in NY, and I've never seen any of those commercials. Granted, we don't have cable or however one gets local stations, only stuff like Netflix, but lots of people have ditched cable because it's too insanely expensive. Or, they have those things that record a bit and then allow you to fast forward through commercials (don't remember what it's called).

 

ETA: I don't smoke, or vape, or w/e, and never have.

 

They're extremely graphic - the latest one has multiple close ups of a young man missing half his face from using tobacco products and getting jaw cancer with a voice over of the dangers of chewing tobacco and what happens when you use. I'm not a smoker and have never been one and I can't even watch them. We all like watching Jeopardy together after dinner and thankfully we can pause and/or fast forward over commercials.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/25/business/media/hard-to-watch-commercials-to-make-quitting-smoking-easier.html

[Anacharsis]

I think maybe a distinction should be made between flavored and unflavored e-cigarettes. As pointed out above, the unflavored variety is basically scentless, since other than nicotine it only contains an odorless carrier, usually either vegetable glycerine, propylene glycol, or a mixture of the two. Generally the more propylene glycol, the thicker the "smoke" (propylene glycol is what they use to make the fog in fog machines).

 

The culprit is usually in the flavorings -- you end up with the same problems one might get from being around cheap cologne or other strong artificial aromas.

 

Unfortunately, the market is booming primarily because of those flavored varieties, not so much because of its ability to help smokers quit.

Edited July 4, 2016 by Anacharsis

[xixstar]

I'm surprised anyone smokes in NY with the NYquits.com commercials. A few of our local channels are NY stations and those commercials are horrifying!!

We just got home from a trip to NYC and I feel like my lungs still hurt from the nonstop assault from smoking.

 

We spent a day in Central Park and it took me an hour or so before realizing it wasn't just the pretty scenery that I was enjoying but the fact that I could actually breathe again.

 

But back to vaping- I don't see it here anymore. It was really popular for a short while but most places added No Vaping signs and it seems to have diminished.

[Guest]

I'm playing the "Devil's advocate" (or giving food for thought?) for lack of a better expression here, so please don't attack me personally. I do not like smoking or vaping (and do neither) but would certainly rather be around a Vaper than a smoker. Just wondering this: where does a line exist as far as a persons right to avoid air pollution by others? Say I want to grill a steak, but you hate charcoal smell, and I really really like steaks and grill them 5/7 days, especially on lovely afternoons when you want to sit On your porch. The smell wafts across the fence to your yard. Do you have the right to tell me to stop? What if I heat my house with wood and you hate the smell of wood smoke (which is, most likely, more potentially damaging to your health than exposure to vaping at the ball field. ) Or I am clearing land and have an enormous pile of brush that the county has given me permission to burn--and it takes days, a week, to get it burned away. Your dogs poop smells, and I don't like your cow pasture either. And you need to get that oil leak fixed in your car (but the state has done away with inspections, so there's no law making you fix it) but when you warm up your car every morning I have to smell exhaust. Or maybe we live in apartments and you are a crazy clean freak, bleaching everything, and so I smell bleach and cleaners and stuff whenever I walk by your door, as well as the smell from the mop bucket you put by the doorstep. You don't want to use the "green" ones because you don't think they work as well as chlorox. Just curious what people think. I do not smoke or vape so I have no dog in this fight.

Tangentially, my BIL got into a legal battle with his neighbor because he had a wood-burning furnace. The neighbor siad he was allergic to the smoke. I think in the end, BIL had to move the furnace on his property. Also, a neighbor where I used to live had a lawsuit against a cleaning company because she claimed that after the company cleaned her house, she had a permanent reactive health effect from the chemicals they used. I don't know what the outcome of this was.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Tangentially, my BIL got into a legal battle with his neighbor because he had a wood-burning furnace. The neighbor siad he was allergic to the smoke. I think in the end, BIL had to move the furnace on his property. Also, a neighbor where I used to live had a lawsuit against a cleaning company because she claimed that after the company cleaned her house, she had a permanent reactive health effect from the chemicals they used. I don't know what the outcome of this was.

 

Yeah this is a tough one.  Growing up we had a neighbor with a wood burning furnace.  It's VERY strong smelling.  If my mom hung out clothes everything would smell intensely of smoke.  I didn't mind it so much, but then again my sense of smell was pretty shot from being around a heavy smoker for so many years.