Vaping in non-smoking areas in Dallas is now a no-no.
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Vapers of Dallas, pay attention: You’ve had a year to get ready for this date, but starting Thursday, Dec. 11, you might just get hit with a hefty penalty if you’re caught Juuling, e-puffing, dabbing or whatever else folks are calling vaping these days.
Because the new city ordinance will begin to include electronic cigarettes in its official definition of “smoking,” anyone caught hitting their vape in public spots that prohibit smoking, which in Dallas, includes all indoor and enclosed spaces, city parks and areas within 15 feet of building entrances.
How much is the fine, you ask? $500, so that hit had better be worth it.
The ban was unanimously approved by the city council last year after more than a year of discussions with the city’s Environmental Commission and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability.
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“I am here today to thank you for taking this up and realizing that electronic smoking products do create a hazard in workplaces,” Kay Kamm, a Duncanville resident and representative of the American Cancer Society, told the council in 2024 when the ordinance was approved. “This is an extremely important step for the city of Dallas to join other cities that have done this.”
Other major American cities have already taken action against vaping in various ways. In 2014, Chicago updated its Clean Indoor Act to include a ban on indoor vaping, while San Francisco banned all flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, in 2019. San Antonio passed a similar vaping ban to the new one in Dallas last year. Experts say that vaping introduces those nearby to harmful secondhand effects in much the same way smoking cigarettes does.
The Center for Disease Control says that most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, so many of the dangers of smoking traditional cigarettes are still present. Reality TV star Fraser Olender recently announced that he suffered a heart attack and other problems, he says, due to vaping. The Below Deck cast member says he also had vaping use-associated lung injury, or VALI, a condition first identified in 2019 that causes extreme respiratory trouble and can lead to death.
Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) has been sounding the alarm on the possible dangers of vaping for years, long before the ban was approved.
“The ongoing reports are highly concerning and the severity of many of these illnesses has been tragic,” said Dr. Philip Huang, DCHHS director, all the way back in 2019. “I cannot emphasize enough that e-cigarettes should not be used by youth, young adults, pregnant women, or adults who do not currently use tobacco products.”