Much to the dismay of many residents, a number of cities have enacted vape bans across the United States. Most recently, Austin, TX, and Louisville, KY, have added themselves to this growing list.

Existing Bans

Both Louisville and Austin have existing bans on smoking in public places. These bans extended to restaurants, bars, public parks and other outdoor facilities. Residents who were weary of being exposed to second-hand smoke largely applauded these smoking bans.

Banning Vapor

Now that vaporizers are making strong in-roads in most communities, a number of municipalities have decided to extend their existing smoking bans to include e-cigarettes and personal vaporizers as well.

The two main reasons for this seem to be risk and etiquette. Many local municipal councils assume that e-cigarettes pose the same second-hand risks as traditional cigarettes, so they are quick to lump them together.

In addition, they see reports of vaporizer battery explosions as additional risk factors about which to be concerned.

How the US Compares to other Nations

As public vaping bans spread into many communities in the United States, it is important to look at these bans in the context of the bigger picture. Most of these vape bans have entirely failed to recognize the importance of harm reduction offered by vaporizers.

While many US cities are busy banning these products, the United Kingdom has taken an entirely different approach. They have created smoking bans with specific exceptions for vapor products as a means of encouraging tobacco smokers to switch to vaping instead.

The UK as a whole has been more receptive to the benefits of vaping and is working to educate people about why they should switch to vaping instead of continuing to smoke.

Looking to the Future

These new vaping bans are just a drop in the bucket when it comes to the other legislation hounding the vapor industry currently in the United States. While the new FDA deeming rules may be delayed by as much as three months, many industry experts believe that it will take considerable time for the US to embrace vaping the way the UK and other European nations have.