Smokers have already been banned from New York bars and restaurants, and soon they could be prohibited from lighting up in cars carrying minors. ..

August 15, 2007 - Smokers have already been banned from New York bars and restaurants, and soon they could be prohibited from lighting up in cars carrying minors. A City Council member of Queens who is chairman of the council's Environmental Protection Committee, James Gennaro, said he is planning to introduce the smoking bill next week. "I am just seeking every opportunity I can to denormalize smoking and to try to put it out of the reach of kids," Mr. Gennaro said. "I've lost family members to lung cancer and I've seen what happens." Mr. Gennaro's proposal calls for fines of $200 to $400 for a first smoking violation, $500 to $1,000 for a second violation in a single year, and between $1,000 and $2,000 for a third violation in a year.

The New York Police Department would get the task of enforcing the law. Rockland County, NY in June 2007 approved a measure to ban smoking in cars with minors. A child who spends one hour in a very smoky room is inhaling as many dangerous chemicals as if he or she smoked 10 or more cigarettes, according to the Mayo Clinic. A U.S. Surgeon General's report from 2006 found there is sufficient evidence to infer "a causal relationship" between secondhand smoke exposure from parental smoking and lower respiratory illnesses in infants and children. ( Council Seeks New Ban on Smoking by Parents in Cars by GRACE RAUH, the NYSun)

Bangor, Maine is believed to be the first city to outlaw smoking in cars with children. But Arkansas, Louisiana and Puerto Rico recently enacted similar bans, and at least three other states are considering them: California, Connecticut and Maine, where proponents hope the Bangor ban will be a catalyst for a state law.

Additional reference: A Call to Ban Smoking in Cars (With Children) by Sewell Chan, The New York Times (City Desk), 8/16/2007.

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