San Francisco: No More Smoking In Your Apartment (Unless It’s Weed)

San Francisco continues to lead the way when it comes to overblown nanny statism, and they are determined not to lose that badge of dishonor anytime soon. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors passed a new ordinance that prohibits residents from smoking or vaping inside their apartments…unless of course they are puffing on marijuana. In that case, it’s perfectly okay.

Makes total sense!

“One should not have to live in a single-family home to be able to breathe clean air,” said Board President Norman Yee. “That right should exist for every single person and family, regardless of where they live or what their income is.”

Even if we concede that point, why ban e-cigarettes? Is it really a big problem that this quickly-evaporating vapor is getting into adjoining apartments?

And if it is, then why is it okay to smoke weed?

As it turns out, the ordinance originally included weed as well, but the supervisors voted 8-3 to exclude it from the law.

“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,” said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman.

Okay…but doesn’t this still force apartment dwellers in other units to inhale smoke that they didn’t ask for? Either that’s an important thing for the city to police or it isn’t. And if it isn’t, then why pass the no-smoking ordinance in the first place?

How long do they spend thinking about these questions? Three seconds? Maybe the Board of Supervisors is, collectively, too stoned to give it any deeper consideration than that.

“Smoking cigarettes and cannabis is banned in common spaces such as stairwells and hallways, and many landlords ban tenants from smoking inside altogether. The new law takes it a step further by making it illegal for anyone living in a multi-unit building — including private apartment buildings, low-income buildings called single-room-occupancy hotels, and condominiums — from smoking indoors,” reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

So there you have it. Landlords can – and have – already banned smoking. Why isn’t that enough? Why can’t you then leave it to residents to choose whether or not they want to live in an apartment building that allows smoking? Why is it necessary for the city to step in and make it law?

Our only conclusion is that these meddling Democrats just love the feeling that comes from taking away people’s free will and their private rights. Talk about an addiction…