Fighting to Smoke Outdoors in NYC

Legislation

Fighting to Smoke Outdoors in NYC

Oct 11, 2010 | By David Savona

The premium cigar industry is mobilizing against New York politicians eyeing to ban smoking in much of the great outdoors. The Cigar Rights of America, International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association and the New York Tobacconist Association are all encouraging cigar lovers to sign petitions showing their opposition to any extension of New York's smoking ban.

Last month, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the nation's most high-profile critics of smoking, proposed banning smoking in all of the city's 1,700 public parks and 14 miles of city beaches.

The New York Tobacconist Association is circulating a petition stating that signers are opposed to extending the ban and that decisions of this nature should be left to the individual. They also pledge to "to exercise public courtesy in the use of legal tobacco products" in those public areas.

Chris McCalla, legislative director for the IPCPR, said "In public places like these, common courtesy should prevail, not heavy-handed, misguided legislation."

To join the petition, click here.

Smoking Ban

archived comments

"I used to be an anti smoker and now that I have done the research on tobacco and ETS studies I can conclue that the anti smoking movement is based on a false representation of evidence. The only argument that the anti smoking movement makes that have taken them this far and kicking smokers to the curb is the belife that ETS (Enviromentally Transmitted Smoke) causes lung disease and cancer in non smokers. However this argument has been demostrated if not proven all together to be false. In order to cause lung disease and cancer to a non smoker, you would have to put a person in a room that is 25X25 with a 9 foot ceiling with no venting at all. The subject would then have to be exposed to thousands of cigarettes all at once. Even if the so called caringenic called nickel which has the lowest number of cigarettes needed to create a toxic atmosphere, you would have to have 300 smokers in that room smoking 50 packs of cigarettes every hour. If we can use this research to show that smokers and non smokers can get together and not reap harm on the other, then we can take back the rights of bar owners as well as our freedom of assembly right as given to that in the consistution. Fight science with Science and make the argument about the so called health effects, any other argument not health related will not work. " —October 19, 2010 15:19 PM

"I have never been a cigarette smoker, but I do enjoy cigars. I don't even smoke cigars in parks, but if i did, I would not smoke it next to a family having a picnic. That is because I have manners and I am courteous to the people around me. I am glad that they banned smoking in restaurants and bars, because if you want to smoke just go outside. I happen to frequent several cigar bars in NY City because it is set up to smoke and I wont be bothering any non-smokers. Now they want to ban smoking in parks? This is typical big government trying to take over. I think if they ban smoking in parks, then they should ban bicycles and dogs as well. I was struck by a guy on a bike in Central Park once and I have stepped in dog crap so many times that I can't even recall the number. The Mayor should ban drug dealers and gangs from the parks, because they are the real problems. And yes I did sign the petition." —October 17, 2010 12:02 PM