The battle rages on between smoking and public wellness organizations in the United States, and particularly in Los Angeles, the home of sun, diet and exercise. Next week, smoking within 10 feet of outdoor dining areas, including food courts, as well as within 40 feet of food kiosks, food carts, and mobile food trucks in the City of Los Angeles will be frowned upon. The city will ask businesses to ask folks not to smoke and post obvious “no smoking” signage.
Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, director and health officer of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health comments:
“The vast majority of L.A. County residents are non-smokers, 85.7 percent, and data has shown that even many smokers prefer to dine in smoke-free settings. This ordinance continues Los Angeles’ commitment to protecting the health of our residents and reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, emphysema and the many other diseases associated with tobacco smoke. This is great news for the City of L.A. Nothing goes better with good food than a side of fresh air.”
Violators, patrons and business owners alike, face fines of up to $500. Bars, 18 and older nightclubs and buildings hosting private events that are completely closed to the public are exempt from this policy.
With this policy, Los Angeles joins a number of cities in L.A. County that have already implemented smoke-free outdoor dining policies, including Beverly Hills, Calabasas, Glendale, Pasadena and Santa Monica.
LA Mayor Villaraigosa adds:
“The City of Los Angeles continues to set the pace for healthy living. Angelenos already enjoy smoke-free parks, beaches and farmers’ markets and now they will be able to enjoy all the wonderful outdoor dining that L.A. has to offer without exposure to toxic secondhand smoke.”
Last month the popular Mayor Michael Bloomberg achieved another success with the 36-12 New York City Council vote to now ban smoking in 1,700 parks and 14 miles of public beaches plus boardwalks, marinas and pedestrian plazas like the one in the heart of Times Square. This is a passing that keeps in line with the 2003 ban of smoking in NYC bars and restaurants.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said:
“This summer, New Yorkers who go to our parks and beaches for some fresh air and fun will be able to breathe even cleaner air and sit on a beach not littered with cigarette butts.”
The expanded smoking ban will give the city’s Parks Department the power to slap violators with quality-of-life summonses, which are tickets for minor offenses like panhandling or public urination that typically carry fines of under $100.
Sheelah Feinberg, executive director of the NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City adds:
“Thanks to this policy, public spaces intended for outdoor recreation will now be available for use in the healthy manner they were intended.”
Former Commissioner T. Frieden said in 2009:
“As a result of our comprehensive anti-tobacco campaign including increased taxes, smoke-free laws, anti-tobacco advertising, and help quitting, 1,300 fewer New Yorkers were killed by tobacco in 2007 than in 2002. This included 800 fewer fatal heart attacks and strokes, 200 fewer cancer deaths, and 250 fewer deaths from lung disease. Similar progress on a national level would save millions of lives.”
The United States Congress has not attempted to enact any nationwide federal smoking ban. Therefore, smoking bans in the United States are entirely a product of state and local criminal and occupational safety and health laws.
Sources: Fresh Air Dining Los Angeles and New York City Smoke Free
Written by Sy Kraft, B.A.