LA Issues Park Smoking Ban

Authorities in Los Angeles proposed banning smoking cigarettes from all 200 of the city's public parks this week, which would make LA the most anti-tobacco environment in the world.

"It's the next logical step," Tim Filler from Americans For Nonsmokers Rights told the Guardian. "It just makes sense to make a place smoke-free in any situation where people could be at risk (of passive smoking)."

The announcement coincided with a report in Washington free sheet the City Paper, which labelled cigarettes as the ultimate gateway drug.

"Eighty-five to 90 percent of drug addicts smoke," said Alane Kimes from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA). "If you look at kids, they will start smoking first and then move on to other drugs of abuse." According to Dr Kimes, rats given nicotine underwent changes in their brain patterns, which made cocaine "more rewarding".

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com

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