I am SO very thankful our kid is grown and we don't have to hang ANYwhere near a kid today! Don't want it don't need it.
Posted on 01/08/2003 4:54:26 AM PST by chance33_98
No more puffing near playgrounds
Max Whittaker/Appeal-Democrat
Rob Young Appeal-Democrat
Do you like taking a leisurely walk in the park while puffing on a cigarette, cigar or pipe?
Make sure you stay well away from any playgrounds. Under a new state law that took effect Jan. 1, puffing within 25 feet of the swings and seesaws can draw a fine up to $250. The law also prohibits smokers from intimidating anyone who complains about smoking within the buffer zone.
The change doesn't bother one smoker, Sonny Gerling of Redding, who was pushing his 4-year-old daughter Lillian in a swing Friday at Lloyd Park in Yuba City.
"I'm a smoker, and I think it's a good idea," Gerling said. "I don't smoke in a car or in the house when my daughter's with me, so why should I do it when I'm with her at the park?"
It was already illegal to smoke or discard smoking material on a playground. The new law tries to protect children's lungs even further by moving puffers out of the 25-foot buffer zone.
Gerling admitted he has occasionally smoked on playgrounds but said he makes sure he's away from children, sometimes retreating to a nearby sidewalk. The law does not include public sidewalks within the buffer zone.
Lillian's mother, Patricia A. Dahlke of Yuba City, also a smoker, was not as understanding about the buffer zone.
"They're more anal about smoking than they are drinking," Dahlke said about lawmakers. "As long as you're not leaving butts, it's not a problem."
Dahlke conceded, however, that smoking on the playground itself is not a good idea.
Nearby, a nonsmoker, June Graves of Yuba City, was sitting at a picnic table with her two children, Dillon, 6, and Abby, 7.
"It sounds good to me," Graves said about the new law. Keeping smokers 25 feet from children, even outdoors, is not unreasonable, she said.
"It protects my kids' health. And (smoking) looks nasty," Graves said.
"I could see 25 yards," she said. "A playground is for kids. They shouldn't have to smell cigarettes."
Elizabeth Neumayer, director of the Yuba City Parks and Recreation Department, said the city is "currently reviewing all options to assist with enforcement of the new law, including posting signs at all public parks."
The new law applies just to playgrounds, not to parks, she said.
The department "certainly advocates for healthy lifestyles," she said.
The new law shouldn't affect the Yuba City School Unified District, where a no smoking rule is already in effect on campuses with or without playgrounds, said Student Services Director Bob Kruse.
The same is true in the Marysville Joint Unified School District, which banned smoking on school grounds at least five years ago to discourage anyone from smoking outside of buildings, said district spokeswoman Jami Marros.
The law will serve as a reminder to parents not to smoke on school grounds, although failure to comply with the school rule has not been a problem, Marros said.
"There are times we do have to remind people, but it's never been a real issue," she said.
Exactly.....all eyes are on the lookout for smoke instead of those with their hands in their pockets.
Repace (Jim Repace is a consultant on secondhand smoke.) said that research is beginning on the effects of secondhand smoke outside. At outdoor cafes and bars where customers are allowed to smoke, he said, servers may be exposed to significant amounts.
Another growing concern, he said, is multifamily dwellings, where smoke can waft between apartments through shafts and cracks in the walls.
He said he expects that places such as outdoor cafes will eventually be included in public smoking bans.
"That's something that will be done, probably in California first," he said.
And the beat goes on ....
Good idea! Six weeks of me would be more than enough to push most of these wussies over the edge to suicide.
BOULDER ERRORS
Make Crossroads non-smoking park
As a former Boulder County resident, I try to stay current with news from Boulder and Longmont. I read with interest that the Crossroads Mall is in trouble. I remember when that was the "in" place to shop, and I'm sorry to see that it is having problems.
But a solution might be: How about we make it a non-smoking parking lot and refuge for prairie dogs? Or just a non-smoking park? The list can go on. Kidding aside, things seem to get too extreme and stop being funny. Boulder will determine the future. I just hope it isn't catching.
PAT MAHER, Grand Junction
Notice that the person who complains is exercising their right to take note of a violation of law, but the smoker to which the complaint is directed is (implicitly at least) not allowed to respond lest he or she be guilty of 'intimidation.' It's classic liberal double-speak. Free speech is only free to them, not to those who may dissent.
I am SO very thankful our kid is grown and we don't have to hang ANYwhere near a kid today! Don't want it don't need it.
Exactly. Pedophiles are allowed to sit close by the kiddies, but my Gawd! Don't you dare smoke!
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