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Here's a condensed version of Siegel's thoughtful piece. Read the full text here:
While there is a strong public-health case for banning smoking indoors, the case for banning it outdoors is much weaker. For 25 years I have testified before court proceedings, city council meetings and Congressional hearings in support of smoking bans in workplaces, including restaurants, bars and casinos.
Inevitably, smoking-ban opponents ask me, “What’s next, banning smoking outdoors?” My answer has always been no: not only can people move around and avoid intense exposure, but smoke quickly disperses in the open air. No evidence demonstrates that the duration of outdoor exposure is long enough to cause substantial health damage.
But that hasn’t stopped many opponents of smoking. They argue that even transient exposure
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The anti-smoking movement has always fought with science on its side, but New York’s ban on outdoor smoking seems to fulfill its opponents’ charge that the movement is being driven instead by an unthinking hatred of tobacco smoke.
A ban on outdoor smoking may provide a symbolic victory. But from a public health perspective, it’s pointless. Instead, anti-smoking organizations should focus on extending workplace protections to the 100 million Americans still denied the right to work without having to breathe secondhand smoke.
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When Mayor Michael Bloomberg began his campaign against cigarette smoking eight years ago, most New Yorkers breathed a sigh of relief. The great indoors all are now smoke-free by law, making New York City a healthier place.
But now the mayor and City Council have overreached. The council voted to ban smoking outdoors in city parks, beaches and even plazas, including in Times Square.
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