Yup. Beautiful NYC, can't smoke at parks, beaches, certain pedestrian only areas. Apparently people don't want cigarettes competing with the stench of homeless person pee. Most private landlords (like mine) have no-smoking policies in leases. Not that I would smoke in my apartment even if I could - analogs do smell gross. I do have almost 700 sq ft and a private garden in Brooklyn at an extremely reasonable price - which is the NYC equivalent of finding a pile of Hessian gold under your floorboards. I doubt anyone would notice or do anything if I vaped in the house. I just don't want to take the risk. I'm used to smoking outside, so its not like smoking inside is worth risking my lease or my job. And I don't have time to deal with a summons because some cop making $36k doesn't want to read my lit on the difference between smoking and vaping.
I think the theory is similar to the big sugary drink ban (which a state court has put on hold.) By making the Big Gulps harder to buy - a person looks like a wierdo for drinking one. Its a giant soda. We stigmatize people that take in 1000 calories of soda in one setting under the theory that prevents them from getting diabetes in the long run (because they'll end up on Medicaid, as most people toward the end of their lives end up on Medicaid at some point.) In that sense, the published reasons for smoking bans may be invented, but the overall public health benefit is probably real. Someday states will stop selling lotto tickets under a similar economic theory.
I think the theory is similar to the big sugary drink ban (which a state court has put on hold.) By making the Big Gulps harder to buy - a person looks like a wierdo for drinking one. Its a giant soda. We stigmatize people that take in 1000 calories of soda in one setting under the theory that prevents them from getting diabetes in the long run (because they'll end up on Medicaid, as most people toward the end of their lives end up on Medicaid at some point.) In that sense, the published reasons for smoking bans may be invented, but the overall public health benefit is probably real. Someday states will stop selling lotto tickets under a similar economic theory.
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