SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio’s smoking ban may soon be updated. Currently, smoking is prohibited indoors.
City health officials said they wanted to close a loophole in the law, and businesses could soon adapt as well.
On the northwest side you will find Rock and Rye.
“We are a true cocktail bar/whiskey bar,” said Don Marsh.
Marsh gave us a look behind the scenes of his bar and showed us everything his bar has to offer.
“Someone sit down immediately. The water drains immediately,” Marsh said.
When someone sits down, you won’t see any cigarettes.
“Anyone who really wants to smoke is out,” Marsh said.
The reason for this is a 2010 regulation that banned smoking in numerous places, including zoos, open-air arenas and amphitheaters, parks and indoor public spaces.
14 years later, in 2024, the regulation could soon be updated.
“Our current smoking ban ordinance was passed before the introduction of electronic smoking devices, also known as e-cigarettes or vapes,” said Metro Health Director Dr. Claude Jacob.
Dr. Jacob gave a presentation to the city’s Health Committee on Thursday afternoon explaining why now is the time to ban e-cigarette smoking, or indoor vaping, in San Antonio.
“There are concerns that allowing indoor vaping could normalize tobacco smoking in smoke-free environments, not to mention that it is confusing to see vaping in a smoke-free space. Therefore, we need to be consistent with our messaging and practices. The health consequences of e-cigarette use affect both the primary smoker and those exposed to secondhand smoke,” said Dr. Jacob.
If this change to the current regulation is approved, there will be changes for indoor businesses.
“We had a few people taking deep breaths. There was this huge smoke coming out, like from a train engine. It was like, you can’t do this here,” Marsh said.
If passed in October, there would be an education and marketing strategy in fall 2024 before the ban comes into force in January 2025.
“This is really about protecting those who live, learn, work, play or worship within our jurisdiction. That’s why we want to advance and improve our ordinance,” said Dr. Jacob.
Dr Jacob said their goal is to protect the public from secondhand smoke and aerosols. If the educational strategies are approved, they will include a recommendation for businesses to post signs saying “No Smoking and No Vaping.”
