Stop Smoking Way

Beach-going smokers may have to curb their habit outdoors, under proposals Trenton lawmakers discussed Thursday.

Members of a Senate committee on health, human services and senior citizens spent Thursday afternoon debating how a ban on smoking at beaches and parks might work.

They took up the issue as three separate bills arrived in committee. Taken together, the three would block smoking at most beaches, as well as parks and forests and even racetracks.

But legislators ultimately held the bills in order to amend and combine them, as they traded conflicting definitions of what areas might be covered.

Cigarette smoke — ugh. Just the thought makes me shudder. It’s the one scent that can truly drive me from mannered to raving lunatic. I can’t even walk by someone smoking on the sidewalk without my eyes watering and nose starting to hurt.

You see, I was pretty much born and raised on second-hand smoke. I was a preemie in 1970 and used to joke that I just couldn’t wait to escape my smoking mom’s body. As a child, I was constantly sick. A cold didn’t just last a few days for me. It would last for weeks and months. I’m fairly certain my lungs will never fully recover from a childhood trapped in smoke-filled rooms and cars.

Upholding Central government’s stand to impose ban on smoking in public private places from October 2, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to issue a stay order in this regard.

Illustrating that no judicial body can pass any order denigrating this stand of government on smoking, a bench constituting Justice B N Agarwal and Justice G S Singhvi said: “We are of the view that it is not a fit case for grant of interim relief.

The prayer staying implementation of prohibition of smoking in public places is rejected.”