The City Council Public Safety and Economic Development Committee has given their approval to move forward with Bill 25 (2013) which would ban smoking at all 293 city parks and beaches. If the bill is signed into law, it would go into effect starting January 1, 2014, giving the Parks and Recreation department enough time to educate the public and put up signs to enforce the ban. The bill was introduced by City Councilman Ikaika Anderson, who stated, “If we’re going to have a smoking prohibition in the City and County of Honolulu at our city parks, rather than protect public health at just a few city parks, then maybe we should really protect public health at all of our public parks.” Mayor Kirk Caldwell has stated previously that he would support a smoking ban at all city parks and beaches if the bill was presented to him.
Michael Zehner is the co-chairman of the Hawaii Smokers Alliance and a strong opponent of the bill. Zehner stated, “Ultimately, they don’t want just beaches and parks, they want every street and sidewalk, every golf course, every campsite, every park, even people’s homes, and this is just another step toward that.”
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 4-24-2013, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com
