I'm no longer a smoker, but this isn't right. This is worse than Communism! Free country my foot!

Wouldn't lung cancer be more of an issue in NYC because of the vehicles? I've even heard coal refineries also contribute to carbon monoxide. So they should ban all vehicles, refineries,or anything like camp fires to cut down the carbon monoxide. Why not just ban the sale of cigarrettes altogether and their helpers thge makers of nicotine patches and gum. (sarcasm) Weird how cigarrettes come under fire when drinking and driving is far more of a "killer of innocents" than cigarrettes. Heck, I would put bad fuel emissions above cigarrettes anyday!

The "statistics" about second-hand smoking are pure fabrication. The old study politicians keep quoting was exposed as pure fabrication. Search and search and you can't find any real study, just reiterations of the same old tired false "study".

Just another reason to never go to New York and never invest in any businesses based there. The exhaust from traffic, especially buses, is actually proven to be dangerous. So where are the draconian emission standards like in California?They're next up of course but at least there's some REAL science behind that.

I'm tired of people bringing "rights" into this. The Bill of Rights doesn't protect a person's right to knowingly cause harm to other people. The Bill of Rights doesn't protect a person's rights to pointlessly light up a cancer stick whenever and wherever they feel like it. It doesn't infringe on anything other than a person's right to live and dwell in a HEALTHY environment.

Right, this will totally make the air in the city safer to breathe. I'd rather inhale cigarette smoke than whatever it is I smell while I'm down there.

I think the mayor of New York should move to New Jersey so we can get a smoking ban in the casino the only place in New Jersey that you can smoke inside is at the casino. The people that work in the casino's have to go outside to smoke. I think that the State Gov. should have to give them the money they pay in taxes back and carry health Ins. for them for the rest of there live.

I love this city, wow!

Well then, all smokers move to Jersey.....

I am a non smoker, however, what sort of an idiot believes that banning smoking from outside areas will improve the quality of air for new yorkers, let people smoke and ban the automobile then you might stand a chance of breathing easier.

Land of the free???? Heck, it ain't even cheap. Smokers also pay taxes to keep NYC parks up and running, duh.

More and more civil liberties being taken away. What a stupid law. Im so glad I left the US.

Ryan

No one said anything about the 'Bill of Rights' This is about personal freedoms being taken away. This is about government interference with private business owners, telling them they cannot allow smoking in their establishment. Now the government wants to force people, who HAVE to go outside to smoke now because of these ridiculous smoking bans, to smoke only in certain outside areas. That is absolutely ridiculous! The next step is just banning smoking altogether and making it illegal. This smoking ban will go the way of prohibition in a few years. Smokers pay the taxes, just like drinkers paid the taxes and frankly, people are gonna get fed up with having the government in their business all the time telling them what to do.

I am a NON SMOKER btw and have no problem admitting that I DO NOT support smoking bans of any type.

I am so afraid when I think about the very thing that my husband has said in ref to all of these new found laws, government and political activist along with so many bored scientist that just can not leave the american people alone with americans personal choices...they are not going to be happy until everyone is locked up....They might as well start building a prison for just death row inmates alone there will be so many....I guess if i want to die by lung cancer that is my choice is it not....We even now have stores that are able to produce moonshine/safe moonshine to the public and this goes back to before Earnhardt came alive on the track....

As we let the government take away our freedoms and rights and our ability to make stupid choices I become more and mopre angry and disgusted. As far as NYC, do they really think that even .1% of the airborne carcinogens are from smokers or are they that incredibly stupid and arrogant? Once again, politocos/PC police take on sins since they don't have any solution to the real problems vexing America, another distraction from the reality of our situation. Deficit? lets talk about health care... Unneeded war? lets talk about the sanctity of marriage.... Disappearing jobs by the greedhounds of Wall Street? lets focus on immigration...

If we weren't the morons who elected them I'd even have more indignation but I fear that the voters will never vote for the future, only short-term bs, or know who the actual enemies to the country are...........

I hope that NYC comes up with an effective sign to indicate, specifically, outdoor no-smoking areas. This is a new concept to a lot of people, and an effective sign graphic would help.

This sign would incorporate the traditional "red circle and bar" superimposed on the image of a cigarette, but with added features to indicate that it applies to an outdoor area.

This NEW KINDOM RULE would be funny, coming from one of the most CORRUPT CITIES in this country...isn't it funny, in Stephen King's "The Stand" all the negative, bad people ended up in Las Vegas...druggies, murderers, mafia, thugs, pimps, prostitutes...you know the worms in human form...but under a harsh, strict Marshall Law - where they couldn't shed off their casings or they'd be severally punished, put on crosses and stuff...but they all obeyed Flag (Tthe Devil in human form). This new LAW from some little people with little dicks and smaller brains, but HUGE HEADS, reminds me of the Bad ruling the bad. And is indicative of America melting down to be ruled by EGOS instead of Wisdom - a free for all with Happy Meals and Plastic Bags whichare now a criminal possession. This place is getting more flucked up - thanks BUSH, Clinton and all the other weak-assed presidents who've set the precedence for this bifurcation of public duties and responsibilities to keep us safe - THEY'VE BECOME LITTLE DICTATORS.

One place you can still smoke, eat and drink in NYC-a cool bar downtown in SoHo called "Circa Tabac."

YES!!! Finally, I can take a walk through the park without smelling the foul stench of second hand smoke. This should have happened years ago.

I'll bet ice cream, doughnuts & indoor cooking kills more people than outdoor second-hand smoke. How about oil heating systems? Should they ban all chimneys in and around public gathering places?

The manipulation of selected facts, selected exclusions and extending partial information to unnatural conclusions borders on outright lying.

This is just more headline grabbing by officials who pretend to be looking out for us.

This is genocide and xenophobia!

NYC is one of my ever favorite cities in the world. But the new SMOKING BAN ON PUBLIC SPACES like municipal parks, beaches and even Times Square (!) - open air places!!!- is simply pointless, ridiculous and abusive since till now there’s no scientific evidence that second-hand smoking is harmful to non-smokers:

I'm sad because i love NYC.

But i refuse myself to visit a city (except if i have to for professional reasons) where i have to check around all the time or runaway to nowhere every time i need a cigarette. As a regular smoker i’m not welcome to this city anymore.

And you, health freaks like Bloomberg, this new adorable planet belongs only to you now, fully enjoy it without the "dirty ones" nearby bothering and polluting your happiness! :-)

I'm afraid of what comes next...