That's right New York City...the Smoke Free Parks and Beaches Law went into full effect today. What does that exactly mean? The law, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed in February after it was passed by the New York City Council, makes smoking illegal in parks, beaches, pools, recreation centers, and other spaces under the jurisdiction of the Parks and Recreation Department. This includes New York City's 1,700 parks and on the city's 14 miles of public beaches. The ban is designed to help curb exposure to secondhand smoke as well as reduce cigarette butt litter. Secondhand smoke causes close to 50,000 deaths per year, and side effects may include lung cancer, respiratory infections and asthma. Cigarette butts account for 75% of the litter found on New York City beaches.
And New York isn't the only city to ban outdoor smoking. It follows the footsteps of 105 municipalities in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and New Jersey that have banned smoking on public beaches including Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Seattle. 507 municipalities in California, Texas, Illinois and New Jersey impose laws that prohibit city parks, or specifically named city parks, to allow smoking including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Salt Lake City.
Violators will be faced with a $50 fine. However, the police will not be enforcing this law. Instead, the city will rely on signs and social pressure from the public to prevent smoking in the outdoors.
