Who gets to decide who gets to vape when, when our numbers multiply? Do we have a meet in isle 3 and respectfully agree not to fog up the place?
A decent question, but IMO, easy to answer (for myself). Unlike with smoking, I don't feel compelled to vape when others are vaping. With smoking, I do feel that compulsion. I was recently in a very fogged up vape shop for about 5 minutes and vaped all of zero times.
So, I do kinda think that vaping in numbers (even outdoors) could be disrespectful because of the fogging up factor. I mostly think it is very okay, but apart from many vapers congregated in one tiny enclosed space, I've never seen reason to be concerned with vaping indoors.
If there were 10 known vapers in a place and we somehow coordinated our desires to vape in that place, I'd be advocating for distant vaping from each other or no more than 2 in one spot. Under those conditions (especially the first one), I doubt anyone (including vapers) would know people are vaping in that establishment. If it were a teeny tiny nook of a place, I'd probably forego it or vape sparingly, longing to get out as soon as I can to the wide open. Like, if I were in a hospital, and 10 of us agreed to meet in some teeny tiny lounge area to vape, I'd probably vape in 10 different locations within the hospital (never being detected at any point) along the way, then meet up with the vapers, and not vape or do so sparingly, and long to get out of that space and then vape in 10 other locations within the hospital.
If you get to vape with your invisible, odorless vapor - where does that place those who vape for the sole purpose of blowing huge, reeking clouds? Or those who couldn't care less about being respectful?
In the danger zone for getting caught by anti-types who hate indoors vaping. Perhaps kicked out. While I perhaps try to have reasonable discussion with those doing the kicking out, wondering what the big issue really is. Likely winning whatever debate ensues, but not changing stubborn policy that is easily exploited by my version of indoor vaping. It would suddenly become a game for me to vape in a place where I know they will for sure kick you out if you are caught. I'd enjoy vaping in that space, with respect/consideration for others.
As little as I like it - laws are not made to govern those who can govern their own desires in public. Ideally - that is. One could argue that all day, but that's beside the point.
Fighting for the right to vape in a grocery store is a job for Don Quixote. Fighting for private businesses to dictate their own policy - on the other hand. That's something else. Which I doubt will lead to a whole lot of vaping in grocery stores anyway.
I see at least 3 sides to this debate. You have noted 2 of those here and in my 2 posts on this thread, I've noted the third side. IMO, reality is you can't catch a vaper who doesn't plan to be caught. I find it easy to downplay that third side when attempting to set up a policy for everyone, but the downplay actually works to the advantage of vapers. If we lived in a political reality where vast majority believed it is up to the establishment, I'd perhaps change tactics/thinking on this discussion. I do favor the "leave it up to the establishment" policy. Yet, given the situation as it stands right now, I need to know why any establishment would disallow. If that is met with "I don't have to explain my reasoning for disallowing to you," then I feel I don't have to follow the policy knowing you will not catch me when I do vape in your establishment. We can call my position disrespectful and/or we can observe who was first being disrespectful in the course of this issue.
I am always up for this discussion.
