If you’re heading to San Francisco on holiday anytime soon, best you leave your vaping supplies at home. Vapers have learned the shocking news that vaping is set to be banned in the city. Two votes have taken place allowing the ban to come into force. While you can still legally vape in San Fran at present, the legislation is expected to kick in within weeks.
Illegal to vape… but not to smoke?
Quite what this means for the health of San Franciscans remains to be seen. You’d think that a ban this wide-ranging would encompass smoking too. However, that’s not the case. While vaping looks set to become illegal in the city, lawmakers have in their wisdom failed to extend the ban to smoking. So, you can happily smoke cigarettes that have been proven to harm health while being unable to switch to the far less harmful electronic cigarettes.
Why have people voted to ban vaping?
Good question. The reason for the vote seems to be that those in charge are concerned about young people vaping. However, we know many people have stopped smoking because e-cigs represent a far safer alternative. If those e-cigs do end up being banned, as looks likely to be the case, young people (and everyone else trying to quit smoking) are less likely to succeed in their efforts.
Vaping is also far safer than smoking. While some could say neither is desirable, many smokers have kicked the habit with e-cigs when they failed to do so by any other means. Time after time, we hear how much better vaping is for your health when compared to smoking. Those who never smoke will be unlikely to take up vaping (again, studies have shown this).
So, who are the winners if this law passes? Undoubtedly the tobacco companies. It seems unlikely anyone else is going to benefit. What are your thoughts on this?
