Dubai: Vaping Inside The Mall? Municipality Ramps Up Inspections Amid Resident Complaints

Noticed visitors vaping around you at the mall? Although smoking is a clear no-no in such indoor public spaces and has separate areas dedicated for it, vaping might be considered a grey area for many people.

A UAE citizen recently took to social media to express his frustration regarding the growing occurrence and normalisation of vaping inside malls and indoor public spaces.

Dr Ali Al Ameri, in his post, put out a plea to Dubai Municipality to address the issue, while citing a recent report about similar complaints from residents and citizens.

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"It has truly become a noticeable phenomenon, unfortunately, in most enclosed places and malls, even reaching hospitals! Guidelines must be put in place to prohibit this unhealthy and uncivilized behavior in public places."

While the sale of e-cigarettes has been legal in the UAE from mid-April 2019, vaping and smoking is prohibited indoors across the country, so one may have to step outside the mall for a puff.

The authority was quick to respond to his complain and alerted residents that it has taken certain measures in coordination with shopping centre operators to address the smoking issue.

These measures include the following:

• Installing clear guidance signs at all entrances and corridors to raise awareness of the smoking ban in all its forms, including electronic cigarettes.

• Requiring security guards and supervisors to alert visitors to the need to comply with the ban, with intensified supervisory monitoring of visitors and workers inside the centres.

• Generalising instructions to shops, restaurants, and kiosks to emphasise notifying visitors of the smoking ban inside the premises, and providing the necessary warning signs.

• Prohibiting smoking near entrances and exits, and restricting it to designated areas only. These places must be located at a distance of no less than seven metres from entrances and exits.

Dubai Municipality also confirmed that it regularly conducts inspection rounds to ensure shopping centres comply with these requirements, in order to protect public health and promote a smoke-free environment.

Vaping devices and e-liquids are now legally sold under strict regulations laid down by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma).

While you can take your vape along with you to the airport, you cannot use it at any airport across the UAE. However, there are certain designated areas where smoking is permitted at UAE airports, you can smoke there.

Shisha cafes, except those that have applied for a special licence, are banned from operating within 150 metres of residential areas, schools and mosques.

Dubai Municipality banned smoking shisha in parks, beaches and all public recreational areas in Dubai. It also prohibited the entry of pregnant women into shisha cafes; regardless of their intention to smoke.

Vaping as a practice has surged among UAE residents during the recent years, with many believing that the smoking devices are a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes.

However, vapes can be significantly more harmful to one's health. A vast variety of e-cigarettes are sold, with many types having much greater nicotine concentration than a pack of cigarettes.

Doctors in the UAE have time and time again warned residents about the serious health risks of vaping , especially for teenagers, highlighting that it can critically impair oxygen supply to major organs and lead to potential long-term damage.

Statistics by the World Health Organisation reveal that tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year, including an estimated 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke.

Smoking in the presence of a child is strictly prohibited according to the Wadeema Law, that establishes children's rights in the country. As per Article 21, smoking in any public and private means of transportation in the presence of a child under the age of 12 years is strictly prohibited.

This also applies to smoking in the presence of children in an enclosed area or room. Violators will be penalised with a fine of not less than Dh5,000.

Individuals who sell or attempt to sell tobacco products to children will be penalised with jail time of not less than three months and/or a fine of not less than Dh15,000. The seller is required to ask the purchaser to provide evidence of them being 18 years of age.

This penalty also applies to individuals who sell or attempt to sell alcoholic beverages to children and any other materials posing risk to the health of the child.

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