A hazy piece of ballpark rules is getting some clarity. Petco Park officials confirmed Thursday that smoking electronic cigarettes is not allowed inside the park.
The e-cigarettes fall under the no-smoking policy inside the Padres’ walls, according to Shana Wilson, even though they don’t contain tobacco. Instead, users inhale vaporized liquid nicotine, a process called vaping.
The rule has not been widely publicized, as multiple e-cigarette users have been spotted smoking in the stands.
"I don't see too much of an interference being next to it myself, but with my daughter around, I don't want her to exposed to things like that," said Padres fan Christina Slaughter.
Wilson said if fans see it happening, they can tell an usher, who will approach the user and tell them to stop.
Smokers can find designated areas outside the ballpark if they want to light up – or in the case of e-cigarettes, power up.
"I try to go into the smoking section because I know a lot of people see the smoke and associate it with something bad, even though there's no carcinogens in it. I try not to do it just to be respectful," said e-cigarette smoker Jeff Guilford.
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Other proponents of the tobacco alternative say they help people quit smoking, but some health care professionals say more research needs to be done to see if the second-hand smoke is harmful to your health.
Petco Park is just one of multiple areas around the county that have banned vaping.
Poway, Vista, Carlsbad and Oceanside have enacted bans within city limits, and a similar proposal is making its way through the San Diego City Council.
