Commentary

ìSmoking is prohibited everywhere in the cityî

Because it’s getting hard to keep track of all the places where you’re not allowed to smoke, the city council of Calabasas, California, decided to start over from scratch and make things simple. “Smoking is prohibited everywhere in the city,” says a Calabasas ordinance that takes effect on March 17, “except as otherwise provided.” The exceptions are private residences, up to 20 percent of hotel rooms, “smokers’ outposts” in shopping center parking lots, and “any outdoor area in which no non-smoker is present and…it is not reasonable to expect another person to arrive.” The smoke-free areas, a.k.a. “everywhere else,” include sidewalks, streets, bus stops, parks, the outdoor seating of bars and restaurants, and apartment balconies near common areas such as pools or laundry rooms.

Read Jacob Sullum’s column here. Update: City Has No Plans to Jail Smokersââ?¬â??Yet Related: Cigarrette Sales Hit 55 Year Low Related: Smoking Bans Reach Another Disturbing Milestone Related: No Smoking in NYC Bars and Outdoor Smoking Bans in San Francisco Related: Good Newsââ?¬â??No Wait, Scratch That