Vape enthusiasts come from all walks of life. Some have transitioned from cigarettes to vape and are reaping the rewards. Some are legal stoners who mix their own infused e-juice. Some are gadgeteers who love the idea of beautiful glowing boxes and tasty clouds on those merits alone. But whatever direction you come from, there is one thing all vapers must face: The puzzle of public vaping.
There is so much disagreement about whether vaping is 'allowed' in one location or another that it's pretty challenging to figure out where it is actually possible to vape. Vaping provides a clean, convenient way to maintain your preferred levels of nicotine and cannabis. It smells good, doesn't leave a sticky residue on the walls, and can help improve your respiratory functions. But all that convenience disappears of some uptight, misinformed maitre d' asks you to put it away or leave the premises when you're vaping on the town.
So today, We are here to talk about how to judge where and when it's safe to vape in public. These rules aren't always going to be concrete, law and local policies change all the time, but we can help you to stay out of trouble and increase the chances of finding cool places where you can vape away from home.
LOCAL VAPE LAWS
The first step is to check out your local laws. Some state laws have expanded their limitations on smoking indoors to include e-cigarettes, so brush up on your state laws to see if that limitation applies and, if so, where. Next, check out the laws that apply to your county and city to ensure that they have not stacked additional limitations onto e-cig use regulation.
This will tell you what the hard lines will be. It will also give you an edge on knowing exactly what is and is not illegal if anyone gives you trouble or tries to imply that vaping is criminal. You may laugh, but it's happened before. Knowing the law can actually help you to defend your right to vape lawfully.
CASING THE JOINT
Next, understand that every venue will have it's own policies about vape, no matter what the current laws say. In fact, some venue vape policies will change depending on which manager is on duty. So you'll need to scope out each place you want to vape to determine how likely your vape is to be permitted.
Some places are super cool and will allow moderate vaping indoors. Some are incredibly uptight and wouldn't even allow vaping on their outdoor patios. So you'll have to play each situation by ear. We suggest checking out the place a few times before your vape ever leaves the pocket so you can figure out how cool they are and what their policies are most likely to be.
ACKNOWLEDGE THE VAPE MYTHS
One important step is to acknowledge the scary vape myths. Yes, they're dumb and untrue, but they've been repeated so many times that a lot of people believe the myths. They believe strongly, often with the conviction of someone who has lost a relative to smoking or drug use and fear seeing that spread in any way.
Know what the myths are, like that vaping is poisonous, more addictive than smoking, or that vape corrupts the youth. Be prepared for these attitudes and learn to identify venues that are uptight in this particular way. Any place that's really worried about 'image' is more likely to be paranoid about vape myths and, therefore, vape unfriendly.
WHERE NOT TO VAPE
With this in mind, it's actually pretty easy to cross off a big section of places where it would not be safe to vape. Schools, for instance. Hospitals and medical clinics. Daycares. Any place where a member of the staff would be horrified to see someone with a cigarette, do not bring your vape. Too many people can't tell the difference between the two.
If children are in sight, you probably want to put away the vape. You should also think twice about vaping around the sick, elderly, or any institute of a financial industry, as they are notoriously uptight. Churches are also usually a no-go, which you can determine because of all the kids and old folks.
So this gives you a pretty clear outline of how to spot a place that's definitely not vape friendly.
FOLLOW THE SMOKE TRAIL
On the flip-side, you can use the same rules to determine where vaping will definitely be accepted: Anywhere there are already cigarettes. Because people can't tell the difference between a cig and an e-cig, they also usually make the same exceptions.
So if you really need a place to catch a few puffs in peace, you can always seek out the nearest smoking sections. Most hospitality venues (hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, etc) have a place for staff to go and smoke, even if it's not front facing. So follow that faint nicotine smell and walk around the back until you find the secret smoking section. Or ask a cool-looking employee to point in the right direction.
Many office buildings, transit stations, and some parks also have smoking sections that you can take advantage of. Hotel rooms that allow smoking, you can vape in.
And -- perhaps most importantly -- any restaurant with people smoking out on the patio will be welcome to vaping during your patio dining as well.
DEMOGRAPHIC CLUES
Another clue to look for is the demographic of the venue. Just like children and old people indicate that you should not vape, a high number of young adults can indicate a vape-friendly venue. Clubs, bars, restaurants, and attractions that cater to the younger crowd are also more likely to be hip to vaping. And less likely to be a total drag if they have to ask someone to put it away.
So watching demographic can help you identify vape-friendly places. And even if their policies are stricter than you guessed on the outside, young adult targeting venues won't hassle you too much.
TO ASK PERMISSION OR FORGIVENESS
Finally, we come to the moment of truth. You've scoped out a place, you think it will be safe to vape in the outdoor areas, but you've never actually seen anyone else do it. Should you politely ask a waiter on your way in, or should you pull out your pen to start vaping with dinner?
This is the final decision to make. If you're testing a nice restaurant with patio dining, there's a risk of an awkward moment if the maitre d' has to ask you to put the vape away. So in finer situations, it's more polite to ask on your way in if vape on the patio is alright.
However, if the venue is a club or bar, or a place where people often catch a smoke outside, then you're probably okay vaping at will. You'll know you are a true master of the vape when you can scope out a vape-friendly joint with perfect smoothness.