SAN FRANCISCO—In a 10-1 vote, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to ban smoking inside apartments on Tuesday, December 1, the San Francisco Chronicle first reported.
The proposal was first introduced in early November by Supervisor Norman Yee, along with co-sponsors Sandra Fewer and Shamann Walton. If approved, it would ban smoking inside apartments with the exception of marijuana.
In the first proposal, marijuana was included to be banned as well. It was changed due to an amendment written by Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who argued that marijuana users have no other place to smoke besides in their own homes. The amendment passed in an 8-3 vote.
In a statement released on Twitter, Supervisor Mandelman believes that “tobacco smokers and cannabis smokers are in fundamentally different positions under state law.” He noted it was “important” for him that “the ordinance move ahead only with cannabis users fully protected.” It is illegal in state of California to smoke cannabis in public.
After the vote, Supervisor Yee indicated on Twitter that he is “happy to report” that the SF Board of Supervisors passed his legislation. He adds that “everyone should have clean air to breathe” and thanked his colleagues.
Supervisor Dean Preston was the only one to vote against the ban. He said on Twitter that it was “very disappointing” that it passed “over objections of tenant advocates.”
Although he said it was “good we exempted cannabis,” Preston still felt that the ordinance “needed more work.”
If signed by Mayor London Breed, not only would San Francisco join more than 60 California cities and counties with a similar ban, but San Francisco would become the largest city in America to pass a ban of smoking in apartments.
According to the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), about 12 percent of residents are smokers and more than half of Californian adults have been exposed to second-hand smoking. Nearly 60 percent of San Franciscans have tried cannabis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says nearly half a million Americans die from smoking annually and 41,000 Americans from second-hand exposure.
