SAN FRANCISCO — A proposal introduced on November 3 would ban smoking inside apartments in San Francisco.
As reported by the San Francisco Examiner, Norman Yee, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, introduced the legislation. He said he feels that San Francisco does not do enough to “help residents being exposed to second-hand smoke in their homes.”
The legislation would ban individuals from smoking tobacco, cannabis, and vaping in apartments with three units or more. As officially stated in the ordinance, the Department of Public Health (DPH) will be required to begin a “public information campaign to raise awareness of the smoking prohibition.”
Supervisor Yee’s co-sponsors include Supervisors Sandra Fewer and Shamann Walton.
The California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) say that 12.1 percent of San Franciscans are smokers and almost 60 percent of SF residents have tried cannabis. Exposure to second-hand smoking makes up more than half of Californian adults.
Regarding his proposed ordinance, Yee said “clean air for people to breathe in their homes” is his main priority. He stated on his government website that “smoke moves between units and buildings” and says his proposal is more important than ever due to the coronavirus. Because many Americans are working remotely, “it’s more important than ever because there is no way to contain it,” according to Yee.
Supervisors like Rafael Mandelman do not support Yee’s proposal. He disagrees with the idea of prohibiting the use of cannabis inside apartments and argues that there are not many options for people “who do not have a medical cannabis card” to consume it “outside their own home.”
The proposal was approved Thursday, November 12 by the SF Board’s Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. A vote by the entire SF Board will be on Tuesday, December 1.
This proposal is one of his last pieces of legislation before he leaves office. Yee, 71, has served on the SF Board since 2012 and is leaving office in January 2021.
San Francisco News reached San Francisco Mayor London Breed for a comment on Norman Yee’s proposal. San Francisco News has not yet received a response.
