New Caifornia Town Smoking Ban

The town of San Rafael, Calif., has passed a ban on smoking that city officials have called the most stringent in the nation. The new ordinance makes it illegal for residents to smoke in their own homes if they share a wall with another dwelling.

Source: http://gma.yahoo.com/california-town-ba ... 56834.html

Call me crazy, but I think this is a bit ridiculous. I don't smoke anymore, but I still don't agree with punishing people that choose to do so. The house I purchased last year is setup in a condo community, and I can't even hear my neighbors, let alone smell their smoke.

I have some mixed feelings. As someone studying environmental management, which overlaps considerably with public health and indoor air quality, this is a toughie for me. If someone smokes indoors in their own home without other occupants, fine. But in a condo or apartment setup, if the ventilation/HVAC system is bad, or if insulation is inadequate, as is often the case, smoking inside could be problematic to other residents with allergies, asthma, etc. if the smoke is able to move easily into other units. Plus, smoke can be highly damaging to the property if it's owned by someone else.

It also notes that Cambridge, MA, where I used to live and still spend a ton of time, has a similar law. Not surprising, as we have the Harvard School of Public Health in the area.

That said, is this the best way to deal with it? Not sure. A blanket ban doesn't seem the best way here, as you could certainly argue it infringes too much on the rights of smokers to smoke. However, the article also notes that the community generally supports the measure, and demand for smoke-free apartments is high and far outstrips supply.

Talk about a balancing act.

Well, I guess I have sort of mixed feelings on this too. I really think there are beginning to be too many laws that prohibit people from doing simple things. Such as some of the things mentioned in those laws stated at the end of the article. One example, plastic bags not being used, etc. If people can't use paper or plastic bags then how are they going to get their groceries home? Oh wait, they can buy cloth bags from the store and reuse them, which doesn't seem entirely healthy to me, and also quite expensive if you purchase a lot of groceries at one time. But getting back to the smoking subject. I think if people want to smoke in the privacy of their own home, then they ought to be able to do so. The idea of second hand smoke might be dangerous but there are probably other things much more dangerous than that around. What's next? Will condo owners or apartment owners be forced to make their apartments "smoke free" somehow or fix it where no one will be injured due to second hand smoke, or will they be subject to fines, lawsuits, etc., if someone develops health problems from the second hand smoke? When will this all stop, and how much is too much? Also, I am not a smoker but I am getting rather fed up with all the bans on what law abiding citizens can and can not due just because someone wants it some other (their) way.

I guess I could see this being a good thing for poorly constructed condos that have bad ventilation, but the condo I live in is very well constructed, and like I said, I can't even hear my neighbors, so it's hard for me to relate to this. It's just something else for the legislators to cry about.