Efforts to ban the use of electronic cigarettes from pub beer gardens are being stepped up from many quarters – do you think it’s fair to ban vaping from such places?
Efforts to ban the use of electronic cigarettes from pub beer gardens are being stepped up from many quarters. Local public health officials, companies competing in the alterative nicotine product market and members of the public are joining forces in a concerted campaign to see the right to vape removed. Do you think it’s fair to ban vaping from such places?
Swedish Match, a manufacturer of non-tobacco nicotine pouches, contacted UK national newspapers recently to inform them of a survey it had conducted. It found, so the company claims, that six out of ten people said they would like to see e-cigs and vaping banned from beer gardens.
It isn’t possible to see where the 2000 people who took part were contacted, but it is reasonable to assume that (without evidence to the contrary) they probably don’t reflect the opinion of the population at large.
Other findings reported by Swedish Match include:
- 75% believe vapers should ask permission from other people in the beer garden if it’s alright for them to use their electronic device
- 45% have asked vapers to stop vaping in beer gardens
- 70% of respondents in London have asked vapers to stop vaping in beer gardens
- 21% said they felt empowered when asking vapers to stop vaping in beer gardens
- 58% have moved seats if someone was using an e-cig near them
- 65% think vaping in a beer garden is inconsiderate
- 17% were offended by vaping with an electronic device
- 11% became angry when they saw someone using an e-cig
The survey bears all the hallmarks of a company trying to promote its products at the expense of competing ones, but Swedish Match isn’t alone in promoting a ban.
Action on Smoking and Health has been supportive of the idea of such bans when raised last year. A number of regions such as North Tyneside, Newcastle, and Manchester included a prohibition in pavement licences issued to outdoor spaces as part of the measures to relax the impact of Covid on businesses in the summer of 2020.
Residents in Berkshire wrote to their local newspaper in April to support bans. Rachel said: “Why should a non-smoker have to put up with it?”
Sharon wanted special areas for smokers and vapers by just banning use in most of the beer gardens.
Lone voices like Phil’s spoke out against the move: “Great idea! Let’s discriminate against a large proportion of customers just as the pub industry needs all the custom it can get. Geniuses.”
Last week, a politician joined in with the demand. Labour’s Mark Hendrick, MP for Preston, asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care: “What assessment he has made of the potential merits of banning vaping in public spaces?”
He followed this up by suggesting there are “potential merits” in reclassifying vaping “under the same rules and regulations as smoking”.
Do you think this sounds fair? Do you believe you should be allowed to use your electronic cigarette/vape device anywhere in an outdoor pub garden?
Let us know in the comments section below.
