Social Question

Pretty_Lilly's avatar

Are E-cigarettes really OK to use everywhere ?

Asked by Pretty_Lilly (4660points) April 8th, 2010

E -cigarette companies claim in their advertising,it is perfectly OK & legal to used them in public,bars,hotels and just about everywhere.
I think technically it is legal but I can see people getting up in arms and making a huge stink about it when ever they’d see anyone using an E-cigarette. What do you think ?

*My granddad had a habit of carrying an unlit cigar in his mouth all day long,many times he would end up throwing it away without ever lighting it,(“No” he would not chew on it & spit tobacco juice) You could not believe how much grief he got about it,he would get dirty looks all the time and was often reprimanded about it, a few times people would start coughing and complain the smoke was irritating them
(These people actually had red,watering eyes ??)
One lady had an asthma attack in an elevator because of the unlit cigar ?? Someone yell at my granddad & ordered him to take the cigar out of the building immediately ?

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22 Answers

Fenris's avatar

They only emit water vapor so they do not break any current laws. They’re as regulated as those bubble pipes for kids.

shadowofdeath's avatar

people are just self centered morons. yes, they are legal, there is someone in my class that smokes it in class

SABOTEUR's avatar

They’re “ok” because there’s no smoke produced, but people don’t know that so it doesn’t mean they won’t get annoyed or upset and complain about it.

Responsible users are discrete about when and where they use their ecigs. Not only is this a courtesy, but it eliminates having to explain and/or argue with anyone about whether or not they’re smoking.

MrGV's avatar

I hate over-exaggerators too….

rahm_sahriv's avatar

If a person smokes, whether or not they are smoking a lit cigarette or cigar, they bloody friggin’ stink. Pardon my diction as it were. That can irritate people’s asthma if they have a severe enough case of it. If you can ask a person with poor personal hygiene to move along, I find it no different to ask someone who reeks of smoke to do the same. To me, a person who has gone a day without deodorant is far more pleasant to deal with than someone who is a smoker. I would rather deal with someone who hasn’t seen a bar of soap, bottle of shampoo and a bathtub or shower for a few months than deal with a smoker.

All in all, if a cigarette isn’t being smoked, isn’t lit, then they within the law and shouldn’t be hassled, although I will probably tell them they stink.

SABOTEUR's avatar

In another forum, a bartender explained it was annoying having to explain to everyone else why one person was allowed to “smoke” while everyone else wasn’t. It became a hassle so it was easier to ask the patron not to use ecigs in his bar.

rahm_sahriv's avatar

@SABOTEUR Lazy bartender, that is his fault. Like I said, if no smoke is being produced or chemicals being put out for others to breathe, then they should be able to use their ‘ecig’. Too bad if the bartender doesn’t like having to explain.

El_Cadejo's avatar

@rahm_sahriv ecigs dont smell actually.

SABOTEUR's avatar

Well, as an ecig user, it’s easy to see how we (meaning people who vape) can get snobbish about the whole thing. We don’t really need to exhale this stream of water vapor; we could just a easily keep our mouths closed and allow the vapor to dissipate, but we exhale in places where smoking is not allowed just to flaunt it in front of everyone else.

Kind of counterproductive when people are lobbying to have e-cigarettes banned. People are less likely to see our point of view when we make assholes of ourselves.

CMaz's avatar

They are like a steam iron for the mouth.

syzygy2600's avatar

I smoke real cigarettes, and I’ve had people walk 10 feet away from me to avoid being anywhere near it. Outside. On a windy day. Some people are such precious little nanny goat milk suckers that anything even related to a cigarette causes their underwear to turn into razorwire.

SABOTEUR's avatar

@syzygy2600 Exactly! And as @uberbatman pointed out, e-cigarettes have no odor, yet I find “seeing is perception”. People see what they believe to be smoke and they’ll swear on a stack of bibles they’re smelling second-hand smoke.

rahm_sahriv's avatar

I was informed by @uberbatman that ecigs do not smell. Great. How many of you ecig users out there only use ecigs though? Do you use actual cigarettes when you can? If so, the stench is going to be there no matter how much cologne (or deodorant, aftershave, perfume, body spray, etc) you use to try to cover it up. For those not informed about ecigs, they could think you are smoking- after all you would still smell like it.

(I was a former smoker, nothing worse than that :P)

SABOTEUR's avatar

Good point, @rahm_sahriv. I immediately stopped using cigarettes after picking up e-cigarettes and the effect was instantaneous. People remarked they no longer smelled cigarette smoke on me; I welcomed that. Unfortunately, after a year of being smoke free, I’m back to smoking cigarettes again because I’ve yet to find an e-cig that won’t continually break down on me.

MrsDufresne's avatar

My friend has one with a blue tip instead of a red one. Because red looks too much like a real cigarette and causes people to jump to conclusions. As for as I know, they are legal indoors.

Fenris's avatar

@SABOTEUR : People think they smell smoke when they see something reminiscent of a cigarette because learned associations are a billion-year-old mental tactic for speeding up reaction time, even if it’s almost vestigial in modern context.

DonnaDon's avatar

I know that is not safe to smoke e-cigs. I read in an article that e-cigs contain nicotine too. That’s mean that e-smokers can become addicted too and the vapors from such a smoking product is harmful for non-smokers. After this interesting news I think that better will be to smoke regular and discount cigarettes in special designed places for smokers.

SABOTEUR's avatar

@DonnaDon I guess the conclusion one comes to would depend on what article one reads. I quickly GOOGLEDe-cigarette safety” and found an article that says something completely different.

VocalEK's avatar

@DonnaDon. E-cigarettes are aimed at current smokers who have difficulties quitting but would like to do something to improve their health. A current smoker is already addicted to nicotine; and, if for some reason, a non-smoker wanted to use an e-cigarette, he or she could use the zero nicotine cartridges. A puff of the vapor from a high nicotine strength cartridge has only 10% of the nicotine as a puff of smoke and nearly all is absorbed by the user. Health New Zealand tested the vapor for over 50 smoke toxicants, did not find any, and stated that the vapor is “harmless, inhaled or exhaled.” http://www.healthnz.co.nz/ECigsExhaledSmoke.htm

VocalEK's avatar

To answer the question posed: As of April 2011, the only state that includes e-cigarette use in its anti-smoking laws is New Jersey. One county in Washington has also specified that e-cigarettes be included, and the FAA is considering banning use on airplanes. I believe it is foolish and unproductive to include these in anti-smoking laws. Smoke contains harmful tar, carbon monoxide, particulates, and thousands of chemicals created by the process of combustion. Nothing is burned in an e-cigarette so no smoke is produced. Bystanders are in no danger. Most people don’t even realize an e-cigarette is being used unless they see the vapor. Smoke has a distinctive odor, making it easy to tell from vapor as soon as you get near. Once the products become more familiar, hysterical reactions should become rare.

catglass's avatar

I just purchased the e-cigarette with a Groupon from a company called “Victory”, and so far I’m very impressed. It is almost like smoking a real cigarette, and I think that it will truly help me quit this time. For me, the hardest thing about quitting has been the stress and fatigue. Now if I really get desperate I can fall back on the e-cig without going on a nicotine withdrawal rampage!

As for safety, I notice that the FDA isn’t too happy with e-cigarettes. I don’t know if this is because the e-cig manufacturers have never “asked” (paid for) the FDA to evaluate them or not. But frankly this does not bother me in the least. Our friends at the FDA have approved so many dangerous medications and have such close ties with big pharma that their credibility is almost non-existent. Actually, my doctor recommended that I try them.

In short, if you’re tired of smelling bad, want a good alternative to expensive cigarettes, or are trying to quit, this might be an option for you.

SABOTEUR's avatar

The (federal government) organization I work for has enacted a no smoking policy anywhere on the premises…inside or outside. Our union contract defines smoking as “lit tobacco products” and a union official advised me that electronic cigarettes are allowed.

This has not stopped management from quickly issuing a memo stating that the no smoking policy applies to electronic cigarettes as well.

Not a big surprise.

I just continue to stealth vape…
...can’t enforce what they can’t see.

(Since my last post, I’ve acquired The Provari. Best e-cig I’ve owned yet. Never leave home without it…)

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