MikeLigalig.com

The Los Angeles City Council members unanimously agreed on Wednesday to ban smoking in all public areas.

By a 13-0 vote, the council proposed an ordinance which would impose a comprehensive ban on smoking in "all public areas and common areas where people congregate, including, but not limited to, indoor and outdoor businesses, hotels, parks, apartment common areas, restaurants and bars, and beaches", council members said.

The council has directed its attorneys to make legal preparations to implement the ordinance, said Councilman Bernard Parks.

The proposed ordinance would be ready for final approval sometime next year, said Parks.

He said the idea is not to ban smoking, but regulate where it can be done.

"I think you go down a path that you can't recover from (when you begin) talking about banning smoking because I think that's an individual decision, but we can protect people who have no desire to smell smoke," Parks said.

"We need to implement legislation to regulate cigarette smoking by limiting it to specific places where there is no expectation of involuntary contact with people -- wherever people congregate or there is an expectation of people being present, ( then) smoking should be prohibited," he said.

Parks said smoking is a voluntary addiction and not a right protected by the Constitution, "yet secondhand smoke harms an involuntary population which has a right to clean air and a clean environment and which is protected by many public health laws." - PNA

I wish this will be adopted in the Philippines also.

Wolfpack, Davao City had long adopted it almost a decade now. A fine of P10,000 will be slapped on anyone who violates the smoking ban. Many people love Davao City because no one smokes in all bars, restaurants, or in any public places.

I left Davao City in 1994, the last time I visited Dvo was in 2001. I am not aware that this smoking ban is enforced there. That is good, am so proud of such a political will taking place in my second hometown.