Mayor of New York to sign smoking ban bill
Baku, February 23 (AZERTAC). New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to sign a bill into law Tuesday banning smoking in nearly 1,700 parks and 14 miles of public beaches, boardwalks, marinas and pedestrian plazas. The law would go into effect 90 days after the signing, on May 23. Violators could face a $100 fine.
“People who have made the decision not to smoke have civil liberties too and their health and their lives should not be negatively impacted because other people have decided to smoke,” Council Speaker Christine Quinn said. She added she was “very glad” that New York was becoming “a public health city.”
The City Council approved the measure on February 2, but there was opposition, both within the Council itself and outside. Council members who voted against the ban said they see it as an invasion of individual rights.
By adopting the restrictions, New York would join cities such as Chicago and San Francisco in the fight against second-hand smoke in public places. The bill would leave enforcement to the city Parks department, which said it would give a warning before issuing a $50 fine. Police would not enforce the ban. The ban includes boardwalks and pedestrian plazas such as the one in busy Times Square, where the city provides tables and chairs.
Under the Bloomberg administration, the city has promoted other health measures including a ban on trans fats in restaurant food and a requirement that chain restaurants display calorie counts on menus. The mayor also has campaigned for food companies to cut salt levels in their products and for the federal government to ban the purchase of sugary drinks with food stamps - federal vouchers used by 42 million low-income Americans to buy food.
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