The state of Lower Saxony in Germany has officially expanded its non-smoking protection laws to include e-cigarettes (vapes), heated tobacco products, and the vaporization of cannabis. The state parliament in Hannover approved the amendment on Tuesday, with broad support from the SPD, Green, and CDU parties; the AfD abstained.
Effective immediately, the ban means that vaping and cannabis vaporization are now prohibited in the same public indoor spaces where traditional smoking was already forbidden, such as restaurants, hospitals, and other public buildings. Previously, the law explicitly covered only the smoking of combustible products, including cannabis joints.
The ruling SPD and Green parties justified the extension by stating that vapor from these products is considered potentially harmful to health. They also argued that the increasing use of e-cigarettes and vapes in designated non-smoking areas threatened to undermine the broader societal "paradigm shift towards non-smoking."
- News source: Hier sind E-Zigaretten und Vapes künftig tabu
