# My stupid county banned e-cigs indoors today :( **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 4, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488 "2014-09-04T16:01:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/21 "2014-09-04T22:54:47Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > I am all for banning e-cigs anywhere smoking is banned. > > I don’t want to have to deal with the emissions of your nasty-ass habits indoors, whether it’s tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke, or this unregulated, untested, unstudied “vapor” made with god knows what. > > Yes, you know where you bought your vapor, and you think you know what’s in it, but I sure as fuck don’t and I don’t want to have to worry about it solely because you made a bad decision 20 years ago and haven’t managed to reverse it yet. I’m with you. I smoke occasionally and although it’s a royal pain in the ass I totally get why I need to do it away from others who don’t want to be imposed upon. Vaping should be treated exactly the same way. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/22 "2014-09-04T23:28:46Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > I’m with you. I smoke occasionally and although it’s a royal pain in the ass I totally get why I need to do it away from others who don’t want to be imposed upon. Vaping should be treated exactly the same way. I think smoking should be treated as harmful to the smoker and to innocent bystanders. I don’t remember seeing anything about the harm to bystanders OR users from vaping, so it is not the same, for me. Just as if someone blew out a puff of sugar “smoke” from a candy cigarette wouldn’t be the same thing. I also think the association between smoking and vaping means that the vaping industry had better get off their asses and demonstrate the safety of the product. It looks like smoke, so people are gonna think it’s smoke-like unless something demonstrates it isn’t. And if people vape inappropriately, it will have a backlash, just as smoking did. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/23 "2014-09-04T23:42:11Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > I am all for banning e-cigs anywhere smoking is banned. > > I don’t want to have to deal with the emissions of your nasty-ass habits indoors, whether it’s tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke, or this unregulated, untested, unstudied “vapor” made with god knows what. > > Yes, you know where you bought your vapor, and you think you know what’s in it, but I sure as fuck don’t and I don’t want to have to worry about it solely because you made a bad decision 20 years ago and haven’t managed to reverse it yet. So rather than, you know, regulate the substance where you will know what’s in it, you make an argument from ignorance. We should ban things because we don’t know if they are dangerous. I wonder why you only apply this to vaping. It would apply to a large number of things in the world. But that’s in your answer, too. You think the habit is disgusting and that there’s something wrong with the people who do it. It’s clear the real reason you care is because you find smokers distasteful and want to remove an alternative. And people like you and the people banning this is why I’m now all on the bandwagon of the smokers who say they are being mistreated. As I don’t vape or smoke, I always thought they were whiners. But it’s becoming more an more clear that they are right. It’s not a public health issue for a large number of people now. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/24 "2014-09-04T23:43:25Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > Besides, I \*did \*quit. I quit smoking cigarettes in January of 2013. I breathe like a nonsmoker now. I smell things and taste things like a nonsmoker now. Although the research is incomplete, many doctors have stated that e-cigs are demonstrably less harmful than cigarettes. It’s ignorant to claim otherwise. > > Nicotine is not risk-free, but on its own it’s not a particularly dangerous substance. An e-cig won’t kill you unless you drink the liquid concentrate. [Caffeine is lethal in concentration, too.](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-teen-died-from-caffeine-powder-overdose/) Congratulations on quitting, that was the right thing to do. However, I just can’t understand why you would want to do anything even closely related to smoking now? Consider yourself cured and walk away from it. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/25 "2014-09-04T23:49:23Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Congratulations on quitting, that was the right thing to do. However, I just can’t understand why you would want to do anything even closely related to smoking now? Consider yourself cured and walk away from it. 😕 I imagine she’s still plenty addicted to nicotine. And–psychologically–to vaping ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/26 "2014-09-04T23:54:49Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > I’m with you. I smoke occasionally and although it’s a royal pain in the ass I totally get why I need to do it away from others who don’t want to be imposed upon. Vaping should be treated exactly the same way. And most of those reasons don’t apply to vaping, and is why vaping was created in the first place. The vapor is practically undetectable, so the stuff about it smelling bad or making you cough is out. While there have been no studies directly on vaping, the studies we do have suggest that vapor is not harmful. The only reason they seem to have in common some people object to the practice in general, or the people who do practice it. And I’m sorry, but that is not a good enough reason for something be legally banned. Vaping has the huge advantage of getting people off of harmful tobacco smoke, helping both those who vape and those around them be healthier. Treating it the same way because it looks similar and involves nicotine is just ridiculous. If there are health concerns, treat it directly by addressing those. Don’t use policy for an older delivery system. That’s the type of crap that has led to the current war on drugs, treating marijuana and methamphetamine the same way. It’s taken decades for people to realize that this is ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Stonebow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Stonebow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stonebow)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/27 "2014-09-05T00:36:45Z")
Could it just be a reaction from groups that are charged with enforcing no-smoking policies? I expect it might be frustrating to declare cigarettes off limits, and then have to sort out all the people vaping things that look just like them. In any case, we have a similar situation on my campus, and the same prohibition against vaping. For us, it is a general ban on ‘tobacco products’ so the ban is logically consistent, at least. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/28 "2014-09-05T00:40:51Z")
**Rachellelogram** , has your company decided to enforce this new rule? I’m just curious as to whether your workplace has talked to you about it, or if you’d only read about it in the news. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/29 "2014-09-05T00:52:05Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > …take into consideration the effects of vaping on a wider sampling of people, such as those who have asthma (as I do) and who might react differently (as I do)? You react to vapour from an e-cigarette? What kind of reaction do you have? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/30 "2014-09-05T01:14:15Z")
Just because the OP has the courtesy to use non-scented nicotine, and seems to do it rather discreetly does not mean the majority of people vaping out there do the same. Ever been on a bus and gotten an overwhelming scent of strawberries, oranges, vanilla wafting through the place? I have. It’s not pleasant, and I’m stuck with it until I leave the bus. Ever been on a train and saw smoke coming from someone on the other end of the car, and can’t be sure at all whether that’s actual smoke or vapor? I have. And I sure as shit don’t want to be the one confronting that person if it really is smoke, because that means they’re a nutter and a confrontation is not even a remotely good idea. Any other indoor area, where smoking is already banned, has the same risk with confrontation. The same goes for restaurants, stores, workplaces. Some e-cigs are obvious, with a blue or other colored light at the end. Some are not. A whole lot of vapers use scented stuff that is extremely unpleasant in closed areas, why should I be fine with some tool’s disgusting cupcake scented vapor while I’m trying to pick out tomatoes, or trying to enjoy my dinner? I agree that the lawmaker quoted in the OP made a totally ignorant statement and that is not a relevant reason to ban vaping indoors. A good reason _could_ be because we just don’t know and it IS a tobacco product. What we don’t know is how much, if any, nicotine is in that exhalation, and whether that is a problem or not. I’m not even sure that’s a really good reason to ban vaping indoors at this point. I _am_ sure the other reasons I gave, why I see it as a problem, are good ones for banning it indoors for now. I can see why the OP would still be upset by it, because smoking stinks and she’s being stuck outside with all the other smelly smokers and that’s not fair either. If I saw her in the bathroom or other non-smoking area away from smokers and her vape was unscented, I would totally let it slide. Co-workers are different, because we know each other and I already would know she’s not smoking. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/31 "2014-09-05T02:25:41Z")
> [@Stonebow](#): > > In any case, we have a similar situation on my campus, and the same prohibition against vaping. For us, it is a general ban on ‘tobacco products’ so the ban is logically consistent, at least. 😕 There’s no tobacco in an e-cigarette. ---
**Author:** ![GythaOgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@GythaOgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GythaOgg)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/32 "2014-09-05T02:37:14Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > Besides, I \*did \*quit. I quit smoking cigarettes in January of 2013. I breathe like a nonsmoker now. I smell things and taste things like a nonsmoker now. Although the research is incomplete, many doctors have stated that e-cigs are demonstrably less harmful than cigarettes. It’s ignorant to claim otherwise. > > Nicotine is not risk-free, but on its own it’s not a particularly dangerous substance. An e-cig won’t kill you unless you drink the liquid concentrate. [Caffeine is lethal in concentration, too.](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-teen-died-from-caffeine-powder-overdose/) I work for a health insurance company, one of the very large ones. It is currently the standard health insurance industry practice that people who are using e-cigs (or other ‘nicotine replacement therapy’) are _considered to be still smoking_ for the purposes of their health and life insurance rates. This is not likely to change. The point of view is, if you’re putting nicotine in your body - whether with a cigarette, snuff, chew, patches, e-cigs, etc, you’re still at increased health risk. And even if the e-cig is supposedly the nicotine free kind, they’re (at the moment) so completely unregulated that there’s no telling if that’s actually true for any particular brand. I have no opinion on whether this is fair, or right, or wrong, or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![C6541](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90db22/32.png) [@C6541](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C6541)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/33 "2014-09-05T02:50:12Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > 😕 There’s no tobacco in an e-cigarette. From what I understand the nicotine base in e-cigarettes is extracted from tobacco. Extraction of an alkaloid from the tobacco plant makes it a tobacco product in the same way morphine is an opium product. So bans against tobacco products would logically include products that utilize tobacco extracts AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/34 "2014-09-05T03:05:17Z")
Not sure where people are getting the idea that nicotine itself is harmful (in the sort of quantities one could get either from smoking or vaping), or for that matter that they have a right not to smell stuff… There’s no evidence that vaping is harmful, and unless such evidence is found, it should remain legal. So, people against vaping, what _exactly_ is in them that you think is harmful to bystanders? Not what you dislike the smell of, or what you don’t want near you just because, but actually harmful. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/35 "2014-09-05T13:17:44Z")
If vaping is odor-free and undetectable, you can just go into the bathroom or an empty conference room to get your fix. More annoying than your current situation, but at least you won’t have to go outside with the cancer-stick losers. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/36 "2014-09-05T13:22:23Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > Not sure where people are getting the idea that nicotine itself is harmful … Well, there’s that addiction thing. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/37 "2014-09-05T13:24:36Z")
Nitpick: Ted Nugent is a teetotaler. All his irrationality is strictly hermetic in origin. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bruce\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/38 "2014-09-05T14:03:56Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > I’m with you. I smoke occasionally and although it’s a royal pain in the ass I totally get why I need to do it away from others who don’t want to be imposed upon. Vaping should be treated exactly the same way. I’ve been to you home city of Chicago on a few occasions. I looked out at the city from the restaraunt at the top of the John Hancock center and could see the smog covering the city like a blanket. Why anyone in city covered in smog would worry about second hand smoke let alone vaping is beyond comprehension. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/39 "2014-09-05T14:53:30Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Just because the OP has the courtesy to use non-scented nicotine, and seems to do it rather discreetly does not mean the majority of people vaping out there do the same. > > Ever been on a bus and gotten an overwhelming scent of strawberries, oranges, vanilla wafting through the place? I have. It’s not pleasant, and I’m stuck with it until I leave the bus. Ever been on a train and saw smoke coming from someone on the other end of the car, and can’t be sure at all whether that’s actual smoke or vapor? I have. And I sure as shit don’t want to be the one confronting that person if it really is smoke, because that means they’re a nutter and a confrontation is not even a remotely good idea. Any other indoor area, where smoking is already banned, has the same risk with confrontation. > > The same goes for restaurants, stores, workplaces. Some e-cigs are obvious, with a blue or other colored light at the end. Some are not. A whole lot of vapers use scented stuff that is extremely unpleasant in closed areas, why should I be fine with some tool’s disgusting cupcake scented vapor while I’m trying to pick out tomatoes, or trying to enjoy my dinner? I don’t want to smell your perfume while I’m trying to enjoy my dinner. So… ban perfume? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488/40 "2014-09-05T14:57:05Z")
“People who smoke cigarettes, they say “You don’t know how hard it is to quit smoking.” Yes I do. It’s as hard as it is to start flossing.” - Mitch Hedberg [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-county-banned-e-cigs-indoors-today/697488.md?page=3)