Vaping Control
Public smoking in Santa Monica
Yuri was visiting Santa Monica recently and took a stroll down the Third Street Promenade. He paused for a moment to light up a cigarette, and exhaled a plume of smoke.
http://smdp.com/public-smoking-in-santa-monica/162863
Yuri was startled when another pedestrian tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at a nearby “No Smoking” sign.
He hastily put out his cigarette and carried the butt to a nearby trash can.
Yuri was surprised that he couldn’t smoke outside, but he wanted to obey the law and avoid bothering other visitors.
Yuri had just gotten a crash course in Santa Monica’s smoking law.
Santa Monica has long been on the forefront of protecting residents and visitors from secondhand smoke. Twenty years ago it was the first city to prosecute bars for allowing patrons to smoke.
Now, both smoking and vaping (e-cigarettes) are prohibited not only on the Third Street Promenade, but in most public places:
parks
beaches
the Santa Monica Pier
outdoor dining areas
farmer’s markets
Outdoor Service Areas (bus stops, ATMs, and anywhere else people wait for services)
It’s also unlawful to smoke or vape within 20 feet of doors or open windows of buildings that are open to the public. (This includes all businesses and basically all places other than private residences.)
Smoking in these public areas is a criminal infraction, punishable by a $100 base fine plus penalties for the first offense; $200 base fine for the second offense within one year; and $500 base fine for all subsequent violations within one year.
Santa Monica also prohibits smoking in common areas of all multi-unit housing (both apartments and condos), and inside units for all residents who moved in after November 22, 2012.
While marijuana is now legal in California, it’s still unlawful to smoke it in public, or anywhere else that tobacco is prohibited.
Smoking marijuana in public is punishable by a $100 base fine, or a $250 base fine if it’s a place where tobacco smoking is forbidden.
There are additional penalties for smoking pot within 1,000 feet of schools, daycare centers and youth centers while children are present, unless it’s in a private residence.
So where is it OK to smoke? There are still plenty of areas where smoking is allowed. These include sidewalks and other public places where it isn’t expressly prohibited – so long as it’s not within 20 feet of doors or open windows.
It’s also allowed in single-family homes, and inside apartments or condos that were occupied before November 22, 2012 (unless the unit was designated as non-smoking).
If you have questions or need information about smoking laws in Santa Monica, please call the City Attorney’s Office at (310) 458-8336 or visit smconsumer.org.
The Consumer Protection Division of the City Attorney’s Office enforces the law and educates the public about tenants’ rights, fair housing, consumer protection and other issues. They can be reached at 310-458-8336 or smconsumer.org.
Anti-smoking adverts by Cancer Research see charity in row over barmy Brussels rules that would BAN them
ADVERTS by Cancer Research urging Brits to quit smoking are at the centre of a row over barmy Brussels rules that would ban them, The Sun can reveal.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4528776/penpushers-ban-adverts-by-cancer-research-uk/
The leading cancer charity want to launch an advertising blitz next month as part of the annual “Stoptober” to urge smokers to “quit or switch” to using e-cigarettes.
Under EU advertising law, anything that promotes nicotine is outlawed
But charity sources say they were warned by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) that they will be breaking EU rules by promoting vaping e-cigs — despite research showing it is 95 per cent safer than traditional smoking.
And today it emerged the Department of Health had stepped in to say public health campaigns should be exempt from the Brussels ruling.
The EU’s Committee on Advertising Practice introduced a ruling in February that outlaws “indirect” marketing promotions of nicotine — which includes e-cigs.
But in a 2016 report, the Royal College of Physicians claimed it was in the “interests” of public health “to promote the use of e-cigarettes, NRT (nicotine replacement therapy) and other non-tobacco nicotine products as widely as possible as a substitute for smoking in the UK.”
Cancer Research UK’s tobacco policy manager, George Butterworth, said: “Research so far shows e-cigarettes are far safer than smoking and may help smokers quit.
Research shows that e-cigarettes are much safer than regular cigarettes
“Smokers who’ve not succeeded in stopping using other methods may want to try swapping to e-cigarettes.
“Stopping smoking is the single best thing a smoker can do for their health.”
The ASA said yesterday: “Our rules prohibits ads for unlicensed, nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, in line with European law which took effect in 2016. Ads for products and brands are prohibited and have not been seen or heard on TV or radio since last year.
However they added that the Department for Health believe “the prohibition would not cover public health campaigns about the relative risks of e-cigarettes verses tobacco products by Public Health England or local stop smoking services.
Today it emerged the Department of Health had stepped in to say public health campaigns should be exempt from the Brussels ruling
But they warned: “Clearly, those ads must not promote a specific e-cigarette product or brand.”
A record amount of people succeeded in quitting smoking in the first six months of this year, data from University College London revealed this week.
But the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence have refused to endorse vaping.