SAN Francisco has banned smoking tobacco and vaping inside apartment buildings – but will allow marijuana smoking still.
The ban was approved in a 10-1 vote on Tuesday, as officials cited secondhand smoke concerns, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
San Francisco, California is now the largest US city to ban smoking inside apartments.
In addition to banning cigarettes, the measure also bans vaping, The Daily Mail reported.
The original proposal included a ban on smoking marijuana – but The Board of Supervisors amended it to allow for cannabis.
“The problem is smoke easily moves between units and there is no way to contain it,”said Board President Norman Yee, who introduced the proposal, as reported by the San Francisco Examiner.
Yee had originally wanted both cannabis and tobacco to be banned – but could not get enough votes in support.
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman introduced the amendment allowing for cannabis smoking.
“Unlike tobacco smokers who could still leave their apartments to step out to the curb or smoke in other permitted outdoor smoking areas, cannabis users would have no such legal alternatives,” Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said, as reported by the Associated Press.
He said that cigarette and/or tobacco smokers "are fundamentally in a different position" than those who smoke pot.
Recreational marijuana is legal in California for those age 21 and older.
Cannabis activists had argued that because it's illegal to smoke marijuana in public spaces, disallowing it in their apartments would not give them anywhere to do so.
There are now 63 cities and counties that have banned smoking tobacco inside apartments, the AP reports.
The ordinance will now undergo a second vote next week.
It will also have to be signed by the mayor before it goes into effect, the AP reports.
After the mayor signs off on the orinance, it would be active 30 days later.
Those found violating the ban could face fines of up to $1,000, SF Weekly reports.
Some people who opposed the bill argued that the tobacco ban would infringe on their rights – but health activists said that secondhand smoke posts a health risks for non-smokers.
According to the CDC, nearly 40million American adults smoke cigarettes.
Each year, more than 480,000 Americans died as a result of cigarette smoking, according to the government agency.
More than 41,000 deaths alone are due to secondhand smoke, the CDC states.
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