San Francisco Wants to Ban Vaping in Private Apts.

On Dec. 1, San Francisco may soon ban residents from vaping in their own apartments if attached to two or more additional units. The law would also ban smoking tobacco or cannabis in apartments.

Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee said the board is “discussing the right of our residents to breathe clean air,” citing the impacts of secondhand smoke.

According to an article in the SFexaminer, The board’s Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee voted Nov. 12 to send the legislation to the full board for a vote, but did so without a recommendation for approval. The full board is expected to vote on the proposal on Dec. 1.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman raised concerns about applying the ban to smoking cannabis. One amendment made by Yee would exempt cannabis smoking for those who obtain a recommendation from their doctor to smoke medicinal cannabis for medical purposes.

But Mandelman said many people no longer get medical proof, such as medical cannabis cards, because cannabis is now legal for adult use. He suggested a blanket exemption for cannabis smoke.

“For folks who do not have a medical cannabis card, there are very few places outside their own home where you can consume cannabis,” Mandelman said. “It is not parallel to cigarettes in that way. Cigarettes, there are still places where smokers can go and smoke. That is not so much the case for cannabis smokers.”

Yee said a blanket exemption for cannabis smoke would not achieve his aim. San Francisco recently banned the sale of most vaping products.