proposed smoking ban

I am no fan of smoking, but I think this (making parks smoke free) is a little over the top. Thoughts?

April 3, 2007, 9:51 PM EDT

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi launched a new front in his war on smoking Tuesday, announcing that the county is considering a smoking ban in parks.

At a news conference to tout a proposed $2 per pack regional cigarette tax, Suozzi said the county's health department will investigate making the parks smoke-free.

"It's something we're thinking about," he said of the parks ban. "I'd like to do it."

The cigarette tax hike Suozzi is seeking, which needs state legislative approval, has support in the Assembly, but may stall in the Republican-controlled Senate. However, a smoke-free park initiative requires only local legislative approval and has already won support from Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury), who said banning smoking in the parks would be consistent with the county's other smoking cessation efforts.

"Parks are synonymous with nature and health, and certainly smoking doesn't fit under that at all," said Jacobs, whose husband, Sidney, was a smoker and died of lung cancer in 2004.

Several California cities, including San Francisco, have enacted smoking bans in public parks and on golf courses. Belmont, a San Jose suburb, may ban smoking citywide excluding only the interiors of single-family homes.

Mary Curtis, Suozzi's deputy county executive for health and human services, said banning smoking in parks is still an idea, not a formal proposal.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy has never considered banning smoking in parks, said Levy spokesman Ed Dumas, who said the issue hadn't come up. Suffolk Presiding Officer William Lindsay (D-Holbrook) would not support a parks smoking ban, spokeswoman Kara Hahn said.

Not surprisingly, making parks smoke-free elicited strong opinions from smokers and smoking-rights activists. Audrey Silk, a retired New York City police officer who founded Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, said banning smoking outdoors has no discernable benefit.

"Show me a study about harm outdoors," she said. "It's social engineering, it's stigmatizing a group of people."

Ryan Schoenfeld, a 23-year-old SUNY-Old Westbury student from Uniondale, said the outdoors is the only place left to smoke.

"I think it's all right to be able to smoke outside," he said. "We're already not allowed to smoke inside."

With the park smoking ban still being researched, Nassau's odds of winning state approval for a $2 per pack cigarette tax appeared long Tuesday, as influential Republicans in the state Senate either backed away from the proposal or rejected it altogether. Also, county officials in Suffolk, Westchester and Rensselear Counties have expressed skepticism about enacting a cigarette tax.

Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City), the chairman of the Senate Health Committee, said he will not introduce the bill and is opposed to any new taxes. Spokesmen for Sen. Charles Fuschillo (R-Merrick) and Majority Leader Joe Bruno (R-Brunswick) said they have no plans to be part of a cigarette tax increase.

Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), the deputy majority leader, could not be reached.

Hannon said Nassau can find ways to curtail smoking other than taxes. He said he'd raise the minimum smoking age to 21 and do a better job collecting taxes from cigarettes bought online or at Indian reservations.

"I'm not high on raising taxes at all," Hannon said.

New York's state legislators typically allow local governments to raise their own sales taxes, said Frank Mauro, the executive director of the Fiscal Policy Institute in Albany. But without a Nassau sponsor in the Senate, raising the cigarette tax will be a hard sell, he said.

"If the Long Island senators are opposing it and Nassau most wants it, you'd think it might not be done as simply as the local sales tax increases are," he said.

Jacobs said that she will look elsewhere for a Senate sponsor if the Nassau delegation declines to introduce the bill.

"It would be nice to have them, and we'd like them to show that they have an interest in Nassau County," she said.

Staff writer Carl MacGowan contributed to this report.
Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

Message edited 4/4/2007 4:17:10 PM.

Re: proposed smoking ban

Considering most parks have small children I'm a fan of it.

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Interesting. I can't see that getting passed. Although I do wish they'd ban smoking on the playgrounds in the parks. I hate when parents stand right by the entrance to the toddler swings smoking away, so we are forced to bring the kids though a cloud of smoke.

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I'm a smoker, but I completely understand why people hate to be around cigarette smoke. That being said, smoking is still a legal activity in this country, and those who do it are made to feel like criminals. Either ban it nation-wide (which won't happen anytime soon because tobacco is still an important, $$-making crop) or let people smoke if they're outdoors.

I think this proposal is a bit much, but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets passed.

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OK this is very tough b/c although I am a fan of it since it is a public place, there are so many other toxins in the air that no legislators are pushing to have removed/curbed.

On the other hand, is there a cleanup issues here too? Do people use the ground to stomp em out or are they using the proper receptacles for their butts?

Not sure yet where I stand.


I do have to say it was nice when we went to Disney, b/c you cannot just light up anywhere...there are very specific (and sort of hidden) places for smokers. It was nice not to get a puff of 2nd hand smoke while walking down Main Street or on line for the rides.....

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I can see making playgrounds no-smoking areas but an entire park? NO. It's a public out door space and it's not illegal to smoke.

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Also, a lot of forest and brush fires are caused by careless smokers who throw their cig butts on the ground. And those cigs that don't cause fires litter the ground, and harm animals who try to eat the filters.

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Message edited 4/4/2007 4:37:33 PM.

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In a park no. at the playground area sure. My husband has always waked out of the playground area to smoke.

Message edited 4/4/2007 4:45:56 PM.

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Re: proposed smoking ban

Contrary to what smokers may think, smoking is not a right. Just because it's legal doesn't mean you have a right to do it anywhere you want at any time. I have a right to make a fist and flail my arms around, but I can't do that if my fist comes in contact with your face.

I'm all for banning things that are dangerous in public places, though I guess I'd be okay with designated smoking areas, too. I love the ban on smoking in restaurants and bars, though I have to say, I'm sick and tired of walking through a crowd of smokers just to get into many restaurants, bars, office buildings, etc.

The bottom line is that smoking causes harm to others. Other activities that cause harm to others are regulated (like the arm example, a really common one in law school "the rights of my fist end at your nose" - why should it be different for cigarrette smoke?) There are PLENTY of legal things in this world that are regulated - drinking being a great example already pointed out.

Have to say, I'm also all for taxing the heck out of cigarettes, cigars, and tobacco, too. Smoking raises health care costs for everyone - so I have no problem with those who want to smoke having to pay a little more to do it.

I don't mean to insult the smokers, as I'm a firm believer that you should be able to smoke and risk your OWN health if you want to, but be reasonable. You shouldn't be allowed to risk the health of those around you. The rest of us don't want to be around it and shouldn't have to be. We're the passive ones who could suffer from your actions. You are the ones who can take your actions elsewhere.

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I'm all for it!

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Posted by Kara

Contrary to what smokers may think, smoking is not a right. Just because it's legal doesn't mean you have a right to do it anywhere you want at any time. I have a right to make a fist and flail my arms around, but I can't do that if my fist comes in contact with your face.

I'm all for banning things that are dangerous in public places, though I guess I'd be okay with designated smoking areas, too. I love the ban on smoking in restaurants and bars, though I have to say, I'm sick and tired of walking through a crowd of smokers just to get into many restaurants, bars, office buildings, etc.

The bottom line is that smoking causes harm to others. Other activities that cause harm to others are regulated (like the arm example, a really common one in law school "the rights of my fist end at your nose" - why should it be different for cigarrette smoke?) There are PLENTY of legal things in this world that are regulated - drinking being a great example already pointed out.

Have to say, I'm also all for taxing the heck out of cigarettes, cigars, and tobacco, too. Smoking raises health care costs for everyone - so I have no problem with those who want to smoke having to pay a little more to do it.

I don't mean to insult the smokers, as I'm a firm believer that you should be able to smoke and risk your OWN health if you want to, but be reasonable. You shouldn't be allowed to risk the health of those around you. The rest of us don't want to be around it and shouldn't have to be. We're the passive ones who could suffer from your actions. You are the ones who can take your actions elsewhere.

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I LOVE having smoking bans in restaurants and bars - I would love to not have to be surrounded by smoke anywhere

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In the whole park, I think it is absurd, in a playground no problem, ban it.

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