Portland considering smoking ban in more than 200 public parks

[alp227]

Portland is considering a smoking ban in all city parks, according to Commissioner Amanda Fritz's office.

The parks board, a volunteer citizen-run advisory group, is examining what it would take to ban cigarettes and other smokable tobacco products in the city's public parks. The board has discussed a potential ban several times this year, most recently at a meeting Wednesday.

Fritz asked the board to look at a potential ban.

The parks board appointed a committee to analyze whether a ban was necessary and what a policy might look like. "We're just trying to get our facts and information down," said Andy Nelson, board chairman.

full: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/05/portland_considering_smoking_b.html

I wish there was a Constitutional Amendment that said:

No person shall be compelled to breathe foreign substances that said person does not consent to internalizing. (Just putting my pseudo-legalese skills out there, heh heh.)

[Travis_0004]

1. How are you being forced to breathe smoke?

Unless the park is 20 square feet, I'm sure they are plenty of places you can go and not be breathing in smoke.

[alp227]

3. If I'm on a walk and suddenly encounter cigarette smoke w/o warning. nt

[hobbit709]

5. What would you do if a hippo farted near you?

[alp227]

10. comparing smokers to hippos now?

Humans can adjust to other humans' needs. Animals not so sensitive.

[1000words]

7. Educate, don't prohibit.

[pipoman]

2. I don't consent to vehicle emissions, manufacturing emissions,

Human body emissions. ..give me a minute I'll think of a few more. ..or, if we are talking about harmful emissions, people smoking outside are quite down the list...

[PeaceNikki]

13. perfumes, air fresheners, lawnmowers, petroleum wax candles burning

bonfires, firepits, leaf burning, body odor, deodorant, scented lotions or oils

[alp227]

18. Lawnmowers do make noise, so you know to avoid them.

And bonfires are a hell of a lot more obvious than cigarette smoking, whose smoke spreads long distances outdoors and invades everyone else's breathing room.

[Sivafae]

4. There are all sorts of place you can't smoke in San Francisco and you know what?

No one cares. You might get one uptight biddy who must come and shake her finger at you. But no one really cares, especially the people who are supposed to enforce such laws.

Stop making laws you won't enforce people.

[lame54]

6. No person shall be compelled to breathe foreign substances that said person does not consent to...

so much for driving

[Cha]

8. I wish they would do that in the state parks on Kaua'i.. people smoke and

foul up the air.. sure.. but, they also leave their damn butts all over the beach and beach park. I spent some time yesterday picking up their litter since they won't.

[betterdemsonly]

9. Pet cause of the centrist dem

like Bloomberg and Rahm. It is a way of moralizing against the lower classes. Real progressives like the sort the run Seattle focus on things like higher minimum wage.

[alp227]

11. What about everyone else's right to not breathe others' filth?

1 non-smoker has more rights to breathe clean air than 3 smokers getting to smoke.

[hobbit709]

14. Makes me wonder what other things you want banned because you don't like it.

[betterdemsonly]

16. You're outdoors for god sakes.

You don't breath smoke unless you want to. There is no evidence outdoor smoke does anything to anyone. You could apply the same rules to all outdoor places. That would be prohibition. What about maryjane smoke. Should Co make that Maryjuana illegal again?

This crusade is based on no evidence what so ever. It is about denormalization/stigmatization or whatever.

[alp227]

17. So what if "There is no evidence outdoor smoke does anything to anyone"?

Even if that were the case, I have the right to have my respiratory health respected and not to breathe others' filthy substances that I do not consent to inhaling.

[name not needed]

12. I say we round up all the smokers and kill them.

It's the only way to protect my delicate sensibilities.

[Logical]

15. Good, smokers drop their butts everywhere. It is sick. nt