Denton County government buildings have been “no smoking” for quite some time and now they will be “no vaping” as well.
On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court voted to ban the devices known commonly as e-cigs from their facilities. County Judge Mary Horn said the decision came after employee complaints to HR about the devices being used inside.
The move will mainly only effect county workers and visitors to those buildings, but some vaping advocates fear it’s just another bad sign for them.
Several communities across North Texas and the U.S. have enacted ordinances in recent years against the once heavily untouched practice of vaping.
Communities like Lewisville put rules into effect banning the sales of e-cigs to minors and restricting anyone under 18 from being in a vapor shop without an adult.
Denton is currently looking to add an ordinance concerning vaping devices and there’s been some discussion of them going as far as banning the devices inside public buildings; although no decisions have been made and discussions on the matter are still young.
Tim Meredith who owns Village E-Cigs in Lewisville said each regulation that goes into place is worrisome for many in his industry and many of the rules seem to be getting tougher.
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“Because it looks like smoking, it gets treated like smoking,” Meredith said.
Meredith stresses that the e-cigs only put off water vapor and, while there are still many unknowns about them, he’s seen a lot of good in the devices as many of his customers and friends have quit smoking cigarettes thanks to vaping.
Judge Horn, the one “no” vote in Denton County’s government building ban, said the devices had also personally helped her quit smoking and she’d seen many others benefit, as well. She said she wouldn’t definitively say they were “good” for you, but that they weren’t necessarily bad if they could help folks kick that addiction, and she said she didn’t want to hinder the chance of county employees to do that.
Meredith hopes as future regulations go forward, and he’s certain they will, that leaders slow down and wait for more research on e-cigs and vaping; so the good aspects of the devices don’t get shut down.
