People will see the vapour and will perceive it as smoke. They know smoking is bad and they will think it is bad for you.
City plans to follow provincial legislation regarding smoking bans
For some, vaping is a means to quit smoking, but others see it as another tobacco product that should be treated as such.
Vaping, which continues to grow in popularity, has been banned in some places, but not in others.
Communities such as Saskatoon have banned e-cigarettes in public spaces and Ontario has started looking at similar measures. In Regina, both Regina Public Schools and Regina Catholic Schools ban e-cigarettes under their smoking restrictions.
Provincially, there are no plans to ban e-cigarettes in public places.
“We believe that municipalities are in the best position to create their own bylaws that address where e-cigarettes can be used in public places,” said Tyler McMurchy with the Ministry of Health.
On the municipal side of things, the City of Regina has talked about the issue of vaping. Currently, no ban is being considered, with officials choosing to follow provincial legislation in regards to bans on smoking.
According to Mike Smider, coowner of Queen City Vapers, putting e-cigarettes and vaping in the same category as tobacco smoking is the wrong way to go.
“Treating it like a tobacco product is wrong,” Smider said.
Smider feels the perception of vaping may be part of the problem.
“People will see the vapour and will perceive it as smoke. They know smoking is bad and they will think it is bad for you,” Smider said. “From a public standpoint, I can see that.”
Smider stated that he is not for or against banning it in public places, but that he did not want to see it treated like smoking.
“I just don’t want to see it treated like a tobacco product, where you have to be 30-feet away from the door, or you have to go outside and be lumped with all the smokers outside,” Smider said. “You are using a product as a replacement or tobacco harm-reduction product. You are trying to get away from second-hand smoke.”
Smider added that 90 per cent of the individuals coming into his store have successfully stopped smoking using his vaping products.
“We have had 40-year smokers quit overnight using these products,” Smider said.
Dr. Mark Brown, outgoing president of the Saskatchewan Medical Association, thinks there needs to be more research done on vaping.
“There is no evidence to say that it is safe or harmful,” Dr. Brown said. “Until we know for sure that it is safe, it should be treated as tobacco. We understand that vaping is better than smoking, but we don’t want to say to people it is okay.”