By Reed Wojick
Staff Writer
In Manhattan Beach it is illegal to smoke cigarettes in public due to a regulation voted by the city council. Taking away the people’s right to inhale this substance or not or not is a ridiculous attempt to control the residents of the South Bay community.
According to the first Marlboro company, in the past year over 30% of Americans have started or continued smoking. With it’s vast popularity, the decision to smoke should be a personal decision and taking away this right is ludicrous.
As of August 18, 2014 Manhattan Beach Mayor Amy Howorth enforced a prohibition of smoking in the Manhattan Beach community. The city council voted unanimously to veto the use of cigarettes and e-cigs in public. If one decides to not abide by this rule, it could cost up to $500 in fines.
The no smoking movement, “Breathe Free M.B,” will, according to city council representatives, prevent Manhattan from being harmed from toxic fumes, even though there are still pollutants in the air disrupting the environment.
Residents can still use the substance within their homes, designated hotels, and moving vehicles, but usage in parks, the beach, and restaurants is illegal. The campaign is mainly to keep children safe and eliminate the exhausts from the family friendly beach area, however may cause smoke shops to go under in sales.
The ban may hurt local smoke shops owners, like Ian Keegan who owns a vapor shop in the South Bay, due to customers inability to use cigarettes within the vicinity of the community. Keegan insisted that the council think twice about the prohibition, however, his ideas were rejected because they were a small minority. The unfairness of losing money and possibly going out of business could be disruptive to the Beach Cities small businesses.
Although many liquor stores continue to carry the product, people must begin to adapt to the ban, causing an inconvenience like going out of their way to buy cigarettes or having to quit. Even though the product is being sold right at their reach, they still can not use it. Changing a law that has been around for years, and now deciding to remove it causes people within the community to change their daily routine. The idea of trying to persuade the common smoker to quit is not something one should be in control of. Instead of forcing smokers to change their habits, people should simply ask smokers to move or walk away from the haze.
Although City Council’s decision is meant to help remove smoking from Manhattan Beach all together, that will not curtail people’s preexisting habits. Being a watch dog and a parent towards the users causes conflict within the community, due to the government already having a lot of control on the people.
A plan of action to accompany both sides would to lift the new ban at parks, beach areas, and selected restaurants. The city should put signs up that read “be kind and aware,” so smokers respect their surroundings like families and children.
While the ban does not affect the majority of the population, the people who do smoke deserve the freedom to choose what they do. Big Brother does not need to be watching over you, as the city is trying to do. The smoking ban is unfair and has to come to an end. Supposedly children will learn from this, but how will they learn to think for themselves when the city is thinking for them.
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