September 15, 2010. Mayor Bloomberg, flanked by from (L) Council Members Domenic Recchia, Jr., Speaker Christine Quinn, Gale Brewer (partially obscured) and Melissa Mark-Viverito at a press conference announcing Into No. 332, a local law prohibiting smoking in pedestrian plazas and public parks. (Photo Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on image to enlarge.
"It would be wonderful if we didn't have any tobacco tax revue," a visibly upset Mayor Bloomberg said in response to a question. "Do you want to deliberately let people die early so you can get some tax revenue. I don't think so. Think about what you're asking. The idea of taxing is so that they do not smoke and will live longer and the measure of success is that the more tax revenue we get the less successful we are."
By Geoffrey Croft
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council members officials announced yesterday that they will pursue a broad expansion of the city's 2003 Smoke Free Air Act which banned smoking in bars and restaurants by extending it to all city owned parks and pedestrian plazas.
The proposed law would ban smoking in all 29,000 acres of city owned public park land including 1,700 parks, playgrounds, parkways, 14 miles of city beaches, as well as boardwalks, public marinas and public pedestrian malls and plazas, some of which do not fall under the jurisdiction of the parks department.
Smoking is already prohibited in some park facilities, including playgrounds and recreation centers, but not in most open recreational areas. If passed NYC would join other municipalities like Chicago and Los Angles who banned it three years ago. Hundreds of cities and municipalities across America have already enacted either full or partial bans. If enacted, New York City would have, by far, the largest municipal park system that prohibits smoking.
Officials cited a May 2007 Stanford University study that found a person sitting within three feet of a smoker outdoors can be exposed to levels of secondhand smoke similar to indoor levels.
"And now, along with the leadership of the City Council, we are proposing significant new protections against second hand smoke in our city," the Mayor Bloomberg said. "In passing it we hope to ensure that when New Yorkers and visitors alike go to our city's park's and beaches for fresh air they will actually be fresh air to breath. And also that our parks and beaches won't be littered as they are now all too often with crumpled cigarette packages and cigarette butts.
“The science is clear: prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke – whether you’re indoors or out – hurts your health,” Bloomberg continued. “Today, we’re doing something about it.”
“Cigarettes kill some 7,500 New Yorkers every year, and thousands more suffer smoking-related strokes, heart attacks, lung diseases and cancers,” city Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said at the news conference. “By expanding the act to cover parks and beaches, we can reduce the toll even further.” He continued, "Most people don't want thier beaches to be used as ashtrays."
“When this legislation is passed, all New Yorkers will be able to enjoy a walk in the park or a day at the beach without having to inhale secondhand smoke,” said Speaker Quinn. “From South Beach, Staten Island to City Island in the Bronx, when people visit parks and beaches, they expect to get some fresh air, not inhale deadly carcinogens. Studies have shown that outdoor tobacco smoke levels can be as high as secondhand smoke levels indoors and there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. This bill will save lives and make New York City a healthier place to live."
“New York is the national leader in creating healthy cities, and promoting a healthy life style,” said Councilwoman Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan), who introduced the legislation. "That’s why we’re pushing to get butts off the beaches. And it’s not just a health issue, as any beachgoer knows: Despite the clean-up efforts of the Parks Department, the sand is too often used as an ashtray.”
During the press conference Mayor Bloomberg was asked by a reporter to respond to critics who think he's gone too far, and to comment on the city's reliance on the enormous tax revenue generated from tobacco. Clearly upset, the Mayor shot back:
"It would be wonderful if we didn't have any tobacco tax revue," Mr. Bloomberg said to loud applause. "Why can't you get that through your head. Do you want to deliberately let people die early so you can get some tax revenue. I don't think so. Think about what you're asking. The idea of taxing is so that they do not smoke and will live longer and the measure of success is that the more tax revenue we get the less successful we are."
“By supporting this legislation, we welcome the chance to improve the beauty and health of the City’s public outdoor spaces,” Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said in a statement. “Tens of millions of visitors – New Yorkers and tourists alike – enjoy our beaches and parks year round, and we hope this new legislation makes it even safer and more pleasant for children and adults to play sports and for visitors of all interests to enjoy healthier and cleaner parks and beaches.”
According to the anti smoking advocacy group Global Advisors SmokeFree Policy (GASP), recent studies show that outdoor exposure to concentration levels of second hand smoke can exceed U.S. EPA limits of fine particulate matter pollution. Children are particularly susceptible to second hand smoke exposer. Even Brief exposure can trigger serious health problems for asthmatics, and people with compromised cardiovascular systems.
Smoking is responsible for one in three preventable deaths in New York City, according to NYC figures. Secondhand smoke causes more cancer deaths than asbestos, benzene, arsenic, and pesticides combined. In addition to the dangers of breathing secondhand smoke, the act of smoking, especially in front of children, makes the practice seem normal and acceptable. Studies have shown that adolescents whose parents smoke are nearly three times as likely to start. Smoking is also a significant source of litter. Cigarette butts, made of plastic cellulose acetate, can take more than 18 months to decompose and are the primary source of beach litter. In fact, cigarette butts account for 75 percent of the litter found on New York City beaches.
Read/View More:
WNBC - September 15, 2010 - By Sara Kugler Frazier
Bloomberg News - Sep 15, 2010 - By Henry Goldman
New York Times - September 15, 2010 - By Anemona Hartocollis
WCBS - Via AP - Sept. 15, 2010
New York Post - September 15, 2010 - By Clemente Lisi
AmMY- September 16, 2010 - By Amber Sutherland
A Walk In The Park - September 14, 2010
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