Smoking

A smoking ashcan

Many people in Davis smoke various substances (i.e. weed). While most Davis folks disapprove of smoking tobacco, smokers struggle to protect their right to openly consume this legal substance. The Davis City Code prohibits smoking in a wide variety of locations open to the public, and both California state law and Davis City Code prohibit smoking in bars. There are not yet laws pertaining to the hazards of barbecue smoke, automobile exhaust or noxious body odors.

Relevant local law as stated in Davis Municipal Code/34.02.010:

(x)Smoking shall be prohibited in the following outdoor areas, and smoking, except while passing on the way to another destination, shall be prohibited within twenty feet of or close enough to the following areas for smoke to travel into an area or building, where smoking is prohibited, whichever is greater;


(1)Public events including but not limited to sports events, entertainment, speaking performances, ceremonies, pageants and fairs,


(2)Seating provided by eating establishments and bars,


(3)Entrances and exits to enclosed public areas,


(4)Within the entryway of any enclosed public area,


(5)Stairways,


(6)Within courtyards and other areas where air circulation may be impeded by architectural, landscaping or other barriers,


(7)Areas not open to the sky,


(8)Any place where people are using or waiting for a service, entry, or a transaction, including but not limited to ATM'S, bank teller windows, telephones, ticket lines, bus stops and cab stands,


(9)Any place where food and/or drink is offered for sale,


(10) Children's play areas,


(11) Public gardens,


(12) Open windows of any enclosed public area;

If you observe illegal smoking in Davis and would like it to stop, you can:

• Firmly but politely ask the smoker to stop. Tell him/her that you don't want to be subjected to secondhand smoke. Warn him/her that s/he is likely breaking the law. Keep in mind that this person may be ignorant of the law, and is more likely to comply if treated with respect.

• If at a business such as a restaurant, firmly but politely ask the management to observe the law and respect its non-smoking patrons. Keep in mind that the employees of the business may have little or no power over the situation, but management & owners do have control over what happens at their establishment.

• If appropriate, call the Davis Police Department's non-emergency line at +1 (530) 747-5400 and ask them to send an officer. If the officer observes illegal smoking, s/he can cite the offender.

• Accept it, if it is out of your personal proximity, like those with bad BO.

There is a Yolo County Smoke-Free Apartments Project.

The UCD Policy and Procedure Manual outlines the "no smoking" policy for campus and in UCD's owned, leased, or operated buildings.
http://manuals.ucdavis.edu/ppm/290/290-10.htm

Various state legislation affects smoking in Davis. It is illegal to smoke in a bar or restaurant in California. According to the American Lung Association, the following sections of the California Labor Code apply to smoking in places where people gather: CA LABOR CODE § 6404.5 & 19994.30 et seq. & 48900 et seq. & 104420 & 1596.795 Los Angeles County's Department of Health Services has a good summary of California tobacco legislation.

On 26 January 2006, the California Air Resources Board formally identified secondhand smoke (AKA environmental tobacco smoke) as a toxic substance that contributes to serious illness and death.

Smoking is a significant source of state income, with approximately 50% of the cost of each pack of cigarettes funding various related and unrelated social programs — just 15% of the tax applied to tobacco products is earmarked for tobacco-related services and programs. To date, just 8% of tobacco taxes have gone toward cancer research. A proposal going before voters in 2006 proposes to increase one of the two state taxes already applied to cigarettes from 87¢ to $3.47.

In August 2006, the California Senate approved a bill to ban smoking in cars carrying young kids. So don't smoke outside, anywhere near other people, or in your car. That leaves only your house unless, of course, you have children or other people living there or the smoke wafts outside the confines of your four walls — burning food or otherwise bad cooking/breath/body odor is exempt. The car smoking ban was introduced by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, and would cover vehicles carrying children required to ride in a child safety seat.

Smoking at a bar in Davis is prohibited by state law and by the Davis City Code. However, it still happens.

• Delta of Venus - people frequently illegally smoke outside in the patio area.
  

• G Street Pub
  

• Little Prague - i don't know if they like it as they don't provide ashtrays
  

• Soga's - very small
  

• Sophia's - very nice
  

• Sudwerk - very big - I've been told that smoking is officially banned in the entire outdoor courtyard -JaimeRaba

• While there have been attempts to set up Hookah Bars in Davis (for smoking tobacco, usually flavored), the Davis anti-smoking ordinances (and state law) have made setting up such businesses impossible.

• Eating
  

• Chocolate
  

• Exercise
  

• Sex
  

• Gum
  

• Nicotine Patches
  

• Cow Tipping

This (?) is probably why people gain weight when they stop smoking. That, and the fact that people don't have the benefit of the metabolism boost cigarettes give you. On the flip side, having a lung removed will shed a pound or two.

Comments:

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Not everyone who quits gains weight, and the average amount of weight gain for those who do is 6 to 8 pounds. Small trade off for lower cancer and heart disease risk, not to mention not smelling like an ashtray. — AnnaJones

I'm sure exercise and cow tipping are very likely causes of weight gain. —TusharRawat

2008-06-01 16:31:21   Particularly for the cow... —IDoNotExist

2008-07-17 00:52:59   it's a shame that smokers face such extreme criticism from other people. the car you're driving is polluting the air more than one of us having a cigarette on a bench. —film

2009-07-14 22:21:27   It's a necessity to cool off my house at night after these hot summer days. Problem is, my new neighbors prefer to smoke outside and while I'd prefer to breathe in cool night air, quite often I'm breathing in their second hand smoke in my bedroom and living room. I have no problem with them smoking, I just have a problem with being forced to breathe their second hand smoke inside my house. Is there anything I can do about it? —ClaireB

• Talk to them?
  

• I had a similar problem, except that my wife was pregnant at the time that the smoke started billowing in through our bedroom window at night. I talked to the neighbor multiple times and was repeatedly responded to as though I had no right to "intrude" on what the neighbor was doing on her own property. Some people have absolutely no consideration for others, and I'm always impressed when I see a smoker who is aware of how their actions impact others and tries to circumvent it (too bad that such a mundane thing is impressive).
  

2009-07-17 10:16:21   Only an idiot could compare smoking to body odor. People must breath and we don't want nor should we be forced to endure someone else's drug choices. It is selfish and rude - talk to 'em? That just causes a fight and isn't our job. Ask the police? Be real - the Davis PD like all PD are do-nothing, overpaid, bullies. For all their groovy, eco-bull the Davisites and others who smoke are just selfish pigs - littering the public spaces with their butts, abusing others (do you want your kids to smoke? do you have to endure it?) and we're powerless. So, we really need a non-smoker liberation front - they don't respect the law and don't respect others - why should we put up with it? —MingWa

• There's already something like an anti-smoker culture, at least here in California. Have you ever seen those Truth commercials? They're basically propaganda. I've also gotten pretty tired of hearing people who have some new program or bill that they want put into law saying that "We'll just tax the smokers!" I'm not a smoker, nor will I ever be, but there are plenty of people out there who get a small amount of pleasure out of it, and are considerate, and go to fairly great lengths to avoid bothering others. Yes, some are inconsiderate, but that person will be inconsiderate no matter what. Also, I can sort of see why any "talk" you might have with someone would quickly develop into a fight. Try being reasonable and having a discussion, rather than simply launching into the personal accusations and unverifiable claims. —JoePomidor
  

2009-11-13 20:51:50   I like me a good cigarette. —AvidSpots