So Where Exactly Can I Use My Electronic Cigarette?

So where exactly is it ok for me to vape?

You know what this is definitely a great question and one that will be being asked more and more as the grey area surrounding where it is and where is not ok to vape is ever expanding. There is no definitive answer here and while some places happy let you use your electronic cigarette others show a no tolerance attitude towards them and have issued a blanket wide ban.

Currently in the UK alone there are around 2.1 million users of electronic cigarettes. Let me say that again...there are 2.1 million users of electronic cigarettes in just the UK and this figure is increasing at an exponential rate. However while this figure is increasing the amount of places that allow the usage of e-cigs is on the decline.

This is bad news for vapers as one of the overall golden benefits to having an electronic cigarette was the ability to use them almost anywhere but now this is not the case.

In the verdict section below the following is used:

Verdict: for vaping / against vaping

 

Restaurant

Recently I went to a great little Indian restaurant for a family celebration. One of the people in our group uses an electronic cigarette and used it with absolutely no trouble at all. However then there are those such as  Chris Corbin and Jeremy King who are the owners of The Wolseley and Brasserie Zedel restaurants who are simply dead against it. Adam White, co-founder of Village London restaurants was quoted as saying "It would seem like a step backwards" to allow vaping after the smoking ban in the UK.

Verdict: 50/50

This is pretty much a 50/50 although it does seem like the big chains and Brands are the ones who are more restrictive towards vaping with even Gordon Ramsay not allowing e-cigs at any of his establishments. So if you are a vaper and wish to use your electronic cigarette you may have more luck going to a local restaurant.

 

In The Office

This all depends on ‘the man’ who sits at the top. Each and every office in the UK will have their own polices. It has been recently been reported that the DAILY MAIL has imposed a blanket ban at all of its offices whereas on the flip side others warmly welcome electronic cigarettes. Cheryl Dooley, CEO of Ebsco Springs, reported purchased 28 of her employees who smoked vaping devices to be used at the company after she successfully managed to use e cigarettes to quit herself. Since making this kind gesture she has also seen a rise in productivity

"Nobody's sneaking out," she said. "The office people are always at their desk." The previously high-traffic "Smoke Hole," a covered picnic bench area set aside as a designated smoking area, is largely empty.

Verdict: 50/50

Again like restaurants this is a 50/50 split with some offices allowing vaping whilst others are outlawing it.

 

Airports

Long gone are the days that you could light up on an aircraft and it soon looks like this could be the case with vaping. Already British Airways, Virgin, Ryan Air, Easyjet and KLM flights have come out and publicly said they are prohibited. The main reason for the ban seems to be to stop passenger confusion between the e cigarettes and actual cigarettes. Also it is worth noting that with strict new protocols in place regarding aircraft security banning these devices could be part of the overall tighter security measures to maintain passenger safety.

Verdict: 10/90

It pretty much seems the days of joining the vaping mile high club could soon be at an end with most airlines having a strict no vaping policy. If you are going on holiday any time soon you may want to look at other short term methods of getting your nicotine fix that you can use abord the aircraft.

 

Public Transport

When it comes to vaping on trains there is again a split right down the centre:

(this data could be a little outdated as I could only find information from 2013 – if anyone knows of any of these that have changed their policy please let me know in the comments section and I will change it)

Reported as being ok:

1. Heathrow Connect
2. Arriva Trains Wales
3. Mersey Rail
4. Southwest Trains
5. First Scotrail

Reported as being not ok:

1. Northern Rail
2. Gatwick Express
3. First TransPennie Express
4. Virgin Trains
5. CrossCountry Trains

When it comes to buses/coaches National Express Coaches will not permit vaping on any of their services. Looking at FirstGroup’s ‘Conditions of Carriage’ it states:

“Passengers must not smoke any substance, carry lighted tobacco, lighted matches or a lighted cigarette lighter. Passengers found smoking may be directed to leave the vehicle, in which case no refund shall be made.”

There is no mention of using electronic cigarettes and vaping which implies that they have no issue with people using them on their services.

Verdict: 50/50

Before boarding a train or bus service it is in your best interest to find out which companies allow vaping and which don’t. Following on from other trends I can only see public transport getting stricter in the near future.

 

Clubs & Bars

This one is a bit of a weird one. From personal experience many nightclubs don’t seem to have an issue with e-cigs whereas bars can be either way. Usually the higher end bars are the ones that have clamped down on electronic cigarettes although with the rise in people vaping there are now vape bars and vape lounges that are starting to pop up around the UK.

Verdict: 90/10

As stated above nightclubs don’t really seem to have a firm stance on vaping yet whereas bars can be a little stricter. With vape bars (juice bars) and vape lounges becoming increasing popular this may not be such an issue in the future.

 

Museums & Galleries

When it comes to museums and galleries it seems that they all pretty much have a no vaping policy set in place – in fact it is hard to actually find one that accepts vaping inside its premises.

Verdict: 0/100

Museums and galleries have a very strong stance and if you feel you cannot be without your trusty e cig for long then maybe a visit to these places is not recommended.

 

Cinema / Theatre

Again like the museums and galleries, the big cinemas have a no vaping policy. Both the two power houses in the cinema world Odeon and Empire both include electronic cigarettes in their no smoking policy. Director of operations for Picturehouse said

"I would expect our staff to ask people to leave if they were smoking an e-cigarette" adding, "these rules make it much easier to police a dark room". 

In regards to theatres it also seems they do not allow vaping.

Verdict: 0/100

Without actually asking every single cinema and theatre there is no way to say 100% off all cinemas and theatres do not allow vaping (as with the others above) however the general verdict seems to be bad news for vapers.

 

Supermarkets

Some of the main Supermarkets such as Asda and Sainsbury’s will not allow you to push your trolley around shopping whilst vaping away using your electronic cigarette. However Marks and Spencers have commented saying that they have never received a complaint regarding the matter so therefore they do not see this as an issue that needs addressing anytime soon.

Verdict: 50/50

Reading a few comments on forums from vapers experiences in supermarkets it seems that this isn’t much of an issue with a popular comment being made that when in public they try to limit the amount of vaper they exhale therefore not drawing any attention to themselves. I cannot find much information regarding actual statements from supermarkets so have labelled this 50/50 as from what I can find some do mind whilst others don’t.

Sources:

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/gallery/where-can-you-smoke-ecigarettes-in-the-uk

https://ukvapers.org/Thread-Can-we-vape-on-trains