Tobacco.org

EDITORIAL: Bloomberg's new smoking ban is impractical  

The WSN Editorial Board thinks Bloomberg's proposed ban, while noble, is an impractical solution without any guarantee of results. The ban's scope is far too large for it to be enforceable, and it brings up the very pertinent issue of personal rights against public health.

However, we do agree with NYU's decision to prohibit smoking in residence hall courtyards. This is a demonstrable health risk and student irritant, and we applaud the university for using its judgment to favor students' health over all else.

The difference between these two bans — other than, obviously, their outright potential for effectiveness and benefit — lies in range. NYU had a specific, focused goal it hoped to achieve with its ban: to alleviate student anguish. And to a large extent, the university has been successful. But placing a ban on park and beach smoking, no matter how well-intentioned, is simply too ambitious.

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