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California city bans smoking at home, ignites debate on health versus government overreach

  • A smoking ban in residential buildings in Carlsbad has some praising action against an ‘alarming health hazard’. But others are not happy

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Beach houses in Carlsbad, California. Smoking and vaping have been banned in some residential buildings there, a measure which has divided the coastal city. Photo: Shutterstock Images.

Smokers living in apartments, condominiums and town houses in a California city will now have to think twice about lighting up inside their homes.

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The beach city of Carlsbad this week became the first in San Diego County to expressly ban smoking and vaping of cannabis and nicotine products inside all local multifamily residential buildings.

While the city’s ordinance prompted some complaints about government prying into the private lives of residents, others applauded city leaders for prioritising the health of non-smokers living in units that are inundated by their neighbours’ second-hand smoke.

Advocates of the ban noted that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, resulting in more than 480,000 deaths annually, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

A birdseye view of Carlsbad, in San Diego County, California. Photo: Shutterstock
A birdseye view of Carlsbad, in San Diego County, California. Photo: Shutterstock
Second-hand smoke exposure can cause a variety of ailments, including heart disease, stroke and lung cancer, federal health officials say.
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