By MICHAEL RISPOLI • Gannett State Bureau • March 14, 2008
TRENTON — Teenagers less than 19 years old would be banned from smoking in public under a bill passed by the Assembly on Thursday.
Last session, lawmakers raised the legal age to buy tobacco products in New Jersey to 19 but hadn’t passed a law prohibiting teens from smoking in public.
Assemblyman Fred Scalera, D-Essex, said the bill would bring tobacco laws in line with alcohol laws that making underage possession illegal.
Currently, Scalera said, “A 10-year-old could be walking down the street, smoking a cigarette, waving to a police officer, and the officer would not be able to do anything.”
The bill, which passed 53 to 20, with three abstentions, would issue a written warning and parental notification for first time offenders. A second offense would require 25 hours of community service and participation in a smoking education program, and subsequent offense would require 50 hours of community service and a $75 fine.
The bill is targeted to curb high schoolers from smoking. Nearly 23 percent of high school students are cigarette smokers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The U.S. Health and Human services estimates more than 3 million American children under 18 consume more than 947 million packs of cigarettes combined every year.
Assemblyman Scott Rudder, R-Burlington, tried to amend the bill to exclude 18-year-olds in the military, but his motion was shot down.
More than a dozen students from Nutley High School who came up with the bill in their Advanced Placement government class were present for the vote and received applause for their efforts.
“It’s pretty crazy,” said Rose Stoffers, 17. “I never though I’d be involved in something like this.”
Stoffers said it felt good to be a part of something that is going to positively affect upcoming generations.
Seven hundred students from Nutley High School signed a petition in support of the legislation, which began as a class project.
A Senate version of the bill is in committee, and likely would not be acted upon until the late spring.
The Assembly also passed a bill that would allow state psychiatric hospitals to ban smoking if they offer a cessation program. The Senate passed that legislation, which now heads to Gov. Jon S. Corzine for consideration.