San Francisco Bill Aims to Crack Down on Public Smoking

Throughout California, smoking inside public places has been illegal since the mid 1990’s.  Now, a San Francisco Supervisor wants to take it one step further — by banning smoking at all outdoor events that are held on city-owned property.

If passed, Supervisor Eric Mar’s bill would require organizers of outdoor events held on city-owned property to post signs saying that the event is smoke-free.  According to Mar, it would be a big step towards protecting the 73,000 non-smokers who die every year from secondhand smoke.

“It’s a critical public health danger with no safe level of exposure,” said Mar.

This is not the first time Mar has taken up the anti-smoking cause.  He was the chief sponsor of a 2010 piece of legislation that prohibited smoking in a variety of places — including sidewalk cafes, outdoor restaurant patios, and ATM lines.

Dr. Mitch Katz, San Francisco’s Chief Public Health Officer, says the 2010 legislation has already produced dramatic results — and thinks this latest bill is a great idea.

“Those communities that have adopted ordinances like this [2010 smoking ban] have actually seen decreases in the numbers of deaths,” Katz told the San Francisco Chronicle “So by passing this ordinance you are all saving lives, and I can’t think of a higher calling than that.”

If passed, the new smoking ban would not require any additional resources from local law enforcement.  Instead, event organizers would be responsible for enforcing the smoking ban themselves.  The only exception to the ordinance would be small events — like neighborhood block parties.

Check out Compliance Poster Company’s San Francisco “No Smoking” poster.