City officials moved to ban the use of electronic smoking devices in areas across Dallas during a council meeting earlier this week.
The policy, approved on December 11, places new restrictions on the use of e-cigarettes, vape pens, and so-called dab rigs, a type of water pipe typically used to consume cannabis extracts and oils. The City’s definition of smoking has also been expanded to include smoking not just cigarettes but any “plant product,” such as marijuana.
The ban follows a May 2023 recommendation from the City’s Environmental Commission, which proposed restricting vaping in public spaces. As reported in The Dallas Express, a recent study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania demonstrated that e-cigarettes, which contain fewer toxins than traditional cigarettes, can still cause harm to vascular health.
Like conventional smoking, vaping is now prohibited indoors or in enclosed areas of the City, within 15 feet of building entrances, at parks, and in any other location designated as nonsmoking, according to KERA News.
In November, Dallas overwhelmingly voted in favor of Proposition R, a ballot measure decriminalizing up to four ounces of marijuana. The initiative, which passed with over two-thirds of the vote, amends the City charter to reduce personal cannabis possession to the “lowest priority” for local law enforcement.
Some officials who supported Proposition R say it does not mean open season to indulge in cannabis anywhere in the City.
“It makes sense to treat marijuana the same as tobacco in that regard. Prop R was about protecting Dallasites from criminal citations for having marijuana in their pocket or glove compartment rather than creating a free reign to smoke wherever, whenever,” District 1 Council Member Chad West told KERA.
Also in November, Texas Rep. Jessica González (D-Dallas) filed House Bill 1208, which proposes the creation of a regulated cannabis market across Texas. Under the proposal, adults 21 and up would be able to possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, including up to 15 grams of extracts. The bill would also make it legal for Texans to possess up to 10 ounces of marijuana at home.