San Francisco Considers $1,000 Fine for People Smoking in Private Apartments

San Francisco is considering a ban on smoking in private apartments, on top of their existing public smoking ban.

According to a report from Reason, the San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted on advancing bill last Thursday.

The bill will prohibit smoking "inside private dwellings located in apartments with three or more units."

It won't be covering tobacco products alone. It will also prohibit marijuana and vaping in private dwellings, said The San Francisco Examiner.

It was sent for a full vote from the board, but was done so without a recommendation for approval. The vote is expected to take place on December 1.

Goal of San Francisco's New Smoking Ban

According to bill sponsor Supervisor Norman Yee, the goal of the bill was to avoid secondhand smoke exposure for residents in their own homes.

Yee noted that smoke can easily move between dwellings so with everyone move indoors due to the pandemic, it will be riskier for people to have smoking neighbors.

"It's more important than ever because there is no way to contain it," he added.

He said it is to protect residents' rights to breathe clean air.

The city currently bans smoking in enclosed areas in multi-unit buildings. The new proposal extends this to the interiors of private homes, including balconies and patios.

Under the bill, the city's Department of Public Health can fine offenders up to $1,000. But first, offenders will be given a warning.

Violating the ban can be a ground for eviction, as per the bill's text.

San Francisco provides clean needles for heroin addicts, but The Daily Wire noted that the new proposal can be considered a form of shaming for those addicted to legal substances like tobacco.

It also raised concerns for Supervisor Rafael Mandelman with regards to smoking medicinal cannabis.

In one amendment of the proposal, Yee said there will be exemptions for those needing to smoke for medical purposes. But first, they must obtain a recommendation from their doctor that allows them to use cannabis for the said purpose.

But Mandelman pointed out that many people don't get medical proof for smoking anymore since cannabis smoking has been legalized for adult use in the city.

In place of this, he suggested a blanket exemption for cannabis smoke, regardless of purpose.

He said the case is quite different for cannabis smokers since cigarette smokers can still go smoke in several other locations but that is not the case for cannabis.

San Francisco to Run Smoking Ban Information Campaign

The city's Department of Public Health will also be requiring a run of a "multilingual and culturally responsive public information campaign" during the first year of the ban.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the smoking prohibitions and what people can do once it has been put in place.

There are 63 California cities that also implemented the same ban.

The proposal was endorsed by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association and the San Francisco Tobacco-Free Coalition.

All three groups issued letters of support on the said proposal.