...and Jayx1 thought Toronto smoking laws are harsh...
quote:
San Francisco Bars Smoking in Its Parks
Tue Jan 25, 8:15 PM ET
Health - Reuters
By Adam Tanner
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Legislators in San Francisco city voted to ban smoking in public parks on Tuesday, becoming the first major American city to embrace such an expansive ban on tobacco use.
"This is the first one that includes all the parks and recreational centers in a county," said Michela Alioto-Pier, a city legislator who sponsored the proposed ban. It needs the approval of Mayor Gavin Newsom to become law.
Several smaller California cities have already prohibited smoking in city parks, including Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, as well as the central Californian city of Fresno. A few cities outside California have limited smoking bans in local parks.
"It is a danger to our small children and not a particularly good example for them either," Alioto-Pier said in an interview. Parks are "an area unfortunately where there is a lot of litter and cigarette butts make up four times as much litter as any thing else out there. It is a detriment to the environment. It takes 10-12 years for a cigarette butt to biodegrade, and the toxins go into the ground water."
State legislators are also considering banning smoking along California's fabled beaches, although Los Angeles and other areas have already barred smoking at piers and beaches.
The city legislature voted 8-3 to approve the ban.
Banning smoking in parks still falls short of a new prohibition in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, which last month banned smoking everywhere in public.
Asked if San Francisco might one day move in that direction, Alioto-Pier said: "I think that if any city in the country is a city to ban smoking on sidewalks and stoops it would probably be San Francisco, but we will just have to wait and see."
Seriously though I can see how the cigarette butts can be a problem.I step on those things by accident & they wind up in my car & at home...and I don't smoke
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Jan-26-2005 17:48
j_spot
retired
Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Calgary
their argument is one against littering, not smoking.
might as well ban eating packaged food in the park too.
If the butts are the basis of reasoning for this ban, im against it.
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Jan-26-2005 17:50
loca
the vibe raider
Registered: Apr 2003
Location: Oz
omfg... it'll never stop.
and +1 to what j_spot said
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Jan-26-2005 17:56
Form&Funktion
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Toronto, Canada
I'm sure some people have also heard of the company in Michigan who is subjecting all employees to tests to prove they don't smoke. If they fail they will have their benefits revoked or be fired.....and it's legal according to state law.
The company's reason for the crack-down is to lower health benefit costs.
I'm against smoking and approve the laws applied here in Toronto but indeed, this is an example of taking it too far!
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Originally posted by Form&Funktion
I'm sure some people have also heard of the company in Michigan who is subjecting all employees to tests to prove they don't smoke. If they fail they will have their benefits revoked or be fired.....and it's legal according to state law.
The company's reason for the crack-down is to lower health benefit costs.
I'm against smoking and approve the laws applied here in Toronto but indeed, this is an example of taking it too far!
HHmmmmmm...well I guess I could see the reasoning behind it...it makes sense rather when in the US healthcare is private and costs $$$. It's not something that you can't control and something your decided to do so...maybe it's kinda true. Either way it's a bit harsh I guess yeah
Registered: Nov 2003
Location: Pandora (South of Nowhere)
quote:
Originally posted by Form&Funktion
I'm sure some people have also heard of the company in Michigan who is subjecting all employees to tests to prove they don't smoke. If they fail they will have their benefits revoked or be fired.....and it's legal according to state law.
The company's reason for the crack-down is to lower health benefit costs.
I'm against smoking and approve the laws applied here in Toronto but indeed, this is an example of taking it too far!
Thats bloody riddiculous... i cant believe thats legal... so long as smoking does not infringe upon your job, there is no way this should be allowed or legal... honestly, thats crazy.
even with drugs, if you do them personally on your own time (away from company property) and it does not negatively impact on your job performance while at work, you cant be fired for that! So that you could be fired for being a smoke is HORRENDOUS!
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Jan-26-2005 18:12
Slag
Where am i?
Registered: May 2003
Location: Toronto, Canada
quote:
Originally posted by Jem_hadar
Thats bloody riddiculous... i cant believe thats legal... so long as smoking does not infringe upon your job, there is no way this should be allowed or legal... honestly, thats crazy.
even with drugs, if you do them personally on your own time (away from company property) and it does not negatively impact on your job performance while at work, you cant be fired for that! So that you could be fired for being a smoke is HORRENDOUS!
quote:
The company's reason for the crack-down is to lower health benefit costs.
Not for job performance.
Jan-26-2005 19:40
Jayx1
Prime Minister of TOTA
Registered: Feb 2003
Location: The Socialist People's Republic Of Canada
This is coming! remember the current smoking laws started in California as well.
These laws always lead to a dangerous slippery slope if left unchecked. It's time to do something.
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"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery…" Winston Churchill
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Jan-26-2005 20:46
Skipper
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: May 2002
Location:
did you read about the people who got fired for smoking?
not even on company time or property. just at home, minding their own business.
Jan-26-2005 21:06
Orko
Digital Hippie
Registered: Nov 2002
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
i do...and dont agree with this.
a) there is a tone of litter due to butts...but yes the same could be said for packaged foods...but they were saying that the butts account for 4x more garbage than other litter.
b) now you cant smoke outside...that is going pretty far with the law, and it doest start infringing on your rights...i thought the outside was safe. if you wanna smoke, smoke outside thats fine.
i never thought smoking was a problem outside in a park, im sure many people enjoy a nice walk and a smoke, and if they want to..go right ahead.
but please people dispose of your butts somewhere else! thats the only problem i have with ciggs outside.
Jan-26-2005 21:07
Form&Funktion
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Toronto, Canada
^^^^^^^^^
The same story me thinks Skip
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...and Jayx1 thought Toronto smoking laws are harsh...
