SMOKING IN CARS
New York, which has already banned smoking in bars and restaurants, is now contemplating something a bit more novel:
Pending bills introduced this year in the state legislature include one banning smoking in the privacy of a person’s own car, leading smoking advocates to believe a complete ban on smoking is on the way.
However, lawmakers claim the intent is to protect children by getting businesses to cut down on pollution.
“With concern for public health, I would be pleased (to ban all smoking), but that’s not what we’re doing,” State Assemblyman Peter Grannis (D-Manhattan), the bill’s sponsor, told the New York Post.
A poll released Monday by an anti-tobacco group found that 70 percent of New Yorkers support the city’s smoke-free workplace law.
Of course, by that logic, we could ban almost any unpopular behavior. My guess, however, is that smoking in cars will be “safe” for several years to come.
(Hat tip: Dodd Harris)
