Our View: No vaping allowed

We’re happy to see the Green River City Council take an interest in prohibiting public vaping.

We understand vaping, like smoking, is a personal choice and don’t hold it against residents who chose to do so. However, when it comes to public areas like parks or restaurants, we think vapers should follow the same guidelines smokers have to follow.

Regardless of if vaping poses fewer secondhand risks to others than smoking does, we think it’s a courtesy for people who vape not to do so in a public setting. While most vape cartridges attempt to provide a sweet or pleasant scent to accompany the vapor, it’s still discourteous to vape around others regardless of the scent produced.

We could discuss how vaping is being linked to health problems, but the core issue at hand isn’t how vaping impacts an individual, but how people around the person vaping are affected. Other people shouldn’t have to deal with any annoyances or inconveniences posed by sitting near someone vaping while at a football game or public event. The city should include vaping as part of its smoking prohibition ordinance, which leaves bars and private clubs exempt. The Council’s willingness to examine this issue and possibly amend that ordinance shows the kind of forward thinking we’re happy to see from the Council.