Outside Smoking Bans, New York City Looking to Be Next in Line

Smoking bans are being cast everywhere these days in almost every city but there is a big difference between no smoking areas such as hospitals, restaurants and other public arenas like inside shopping malls and banning smoking on the city streets and on beaches and open air markets.

The city of New York is now contemplating whether to extend their existing smoking ban on inside arenas to include outside areas such as parks, beaches, marinas, boardwalks and pedestrian areas everywhere within the city.

The New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other city officials have recently announced plans to extend the smoking ban and this will come as a hard blow to not only New York Smokers but smokers everywhere. All you have to do is think of the millions of people everywhere who travel to and from New York City each day either as tourists or business professionals who will be impacted by this new ban to see this is going to be devastating.

I have to admit I am not a smoker and I am also a medical professional who has over 28 years of medical experience, yet I am against any law being passed that intrudes on the freedoms of people especially in this radical way. I firmly acknowledge that smoking take a terrible toll on your health, and the health of those around you however isn't it enough to say that inside of public areas smoking should and is banned in most cities around the United States. I'm not a smoker but I don't feel victimized by a smoker on the city street next to me, nor do I feel like the park is overly congested by secondhand smoke. If anything in a city such as New York the emissions from buses, cabs and other vehicles can affect my breathing just as much as anything else.

Don't get me wrong I'm not for smoking, I'm just thinking about the facts. In my opinion New York and other cities that attempt this outside smoking ban are only doing so in order to fine smokers unfairly.

This ban will place an undo amount of stress on all smokers whether they live in New York or are simply passing through on business to rethink if and when they should light up. After being an active education nurse on the cessation of smoking and the health benefits, I can affirm that quitting smoking is the best thing to do for any ones health however it is a very difficult habit to break. I often counsel patients on quitting and the many avenues in which medications can play such as Chantix. However no amount of Nicotine gum, lozenges, Chantix or any other therapy does anyone any good unless their willing to stop. I don't see where this ban will do anything but possibly put more of a strain on people pocketbooks at a time when most people are stressed to the maximum with the recession we are under.

The city officials are stating the ban is in accordance because of the secondhand smoke health risk that non-smokers face and studies do show that prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke does propose a threat. However even in the small community I am from smokers come in every day to the hospital dragging children from their cars smelling like they have had their windows rolled up while chain smoking an entire pack. So will that become the norm, that smokers are only allowed to puff away in their own homes and thereby subject their animals and children to a barrage of smoke because some officials don't think they should be allowed to smoke outside.

The smoking ban will bring in tons of revenue and I see it as a growing trend if it is allowed to pass. The minor offense ticket could bring in as much as 250 dollars an offense, but most authorities say it will be most likely just 50 dollars. My next comment would be what happens if this is like a ticking time bomb to some people, around here people often say "Give me Liberty or Give Me Death." That comment in this day and age worries me. As well as, what happens when they don't pay their tickets like as in parking tickets does that mean warrants are issued, government money goes to prosecute smokers when we have real criminals out there.

The latest news release on the ban states "that if someone is sitting within three feet of a smoker outside in open air, they can be exposed to levels of secondhand smoke just as though they were indoors." and that "65 percent of New Yorkers actually favor the outside ban smoking at least at outdoor recreation areas."

As I have stated before I am not a smoker and I don't pretend to know how to fix this world, but adding to an already stressful society is not the answer.

References for this article include: www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/125451/city-moves-ahead-with-expanded-smoking-ban
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/15/health/main6869544.shtml
www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1312610/New-York-smoking-ban-Bloomberg-extends-park-beaches-boardwalks.html