Smoking in Parks and Beaches is Prohibited in New York

After some debates, the City Council adopted a bill to prohibit smoking in 1,700 city parks and along 14 miles of city beaches.

Smoking would be prohibited in such places as Bryant Park in accordance with the City Council implemented by a 36-to-12 vote. By this vote, the Council implemented the most essential diffusion of anti-smoking laws since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg demanded to ban smoking in restaurants and other establishments in 2002. “This ban was like a confirmation of the right of non-smokers. Their health should not be affected because other people have decided to smoke,” the Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn stated in an interview.

Opponents of this bill, stand against it, some members called it an excessively broad law that would violate the individual liberties. “We will move towards a totalitarian society if we are going to implement those restrictions,” stated Councilman Robert Jackson of Manhattan, who is a non-smoker. Others declared that the ban would lead to a dangerous precedent. “As soon as we adopt this law, we will ban smoking on sidewalks, in the cars carrying minor and then in the homes,” stated Councilman Daniel J. Halloran.

A proposal to create specially designed smoking areas outdoors was rejected by Council leaders in favor of a complete ban. The bill will become lawful 90 after Mr. Bloomberg signs it. “This summer, New Yorkers who will go to parks and beaches to enjoy some fresh air will have the opportunity to breathe even cleaner air and lie on a clean beach without those awful butts. Those individual who infringe the law will pay a $50 fine,” stated Mr. Bloomberg. “Increasing revenue for the city is not our aim. I am not interested in arrests or revenue. The only thing I am interested in is public health,” Councilwoman Gale A. Brewer advocate for stricter anti smoking laws, declared at a conference.

Spain Adopts Tough Anti-Smoking Law

The given law was proposed by the Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and his Socialist Party and was approved by 189-154 votes, also was turned down a Senate amendment which permitted casinos to have smoking areas.

From January 2, all bars, cafes and restaurant will be transformed into non-smoking areas, thus bringing Spain to conformity with the European Union’s toughest anti-smoking nations and other states that prohibit smoking in enclosed public places.

“We have to start to become more civilized and modern,” said a smoker. The given law will make Spain one of the toughest places than many other EU countries where is still allowed to have smoking sections. The given law will also ban smoking in outdoor places as playgrounds and the territory around schools and hospitals.

The previous anti-smoking law that was adopted in 2006, and targeted at eradication of smoking and smoking related diseases and deaths, banned smoking in workplaces. But many declared that that law was a failure because it permitted to the majority of bar and restaurant owners to decide whether to allow smoking or not, and almost all of them allowed it.

Bar and restaurant owners will not have that privilege and those who have smoking sections will have to get rid of them. Government officials forecast that thousands of lives that would have been lost because of secondhand smoke will be saved due to this new law.