After big soda ban, NYC's Mayor Bloomberg wants to hide cigarettes

[The Straight Story]

If New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gets his way, stores won't be able to publicly display tobacco products and will have to keep cigarettes under the counter or behind curtains.

The legislation announced Monday is the latest public-health crackdown by the mayor, whose ban on super-sized sugary soft drinks was shot down by a judge last week.

The proposed law would "prohibit display of tobacco products" in most retail shops, Bloomberg said. "Such displays suggest smoking is a normal activity and invite young people to experiment with tobacco."

He said it would be the first of its kind in the nation.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/18/17358772-after-big-soda-ban-nycs-mayor-bloomberg-wants-to-hide-cigarettes

[HockeyMom]

1. They are under lock and key in the city

for THEFT reasons because they taxes are making them so expensive.

[lefty_mcduff]

2. No biggie

Tobacco products have been in drawers, under counters for years in Ontario, Canada. Everyone seems to get along just fine.

[SidDithers]

3. Oh no. What ever will the smokers do?...nt

Sid

[olddots]

4. progress is a bummer

[alp227]

5. how is this law going to stop people from blowing smoke in everyone else's faces? n/t

[The Straight Story]

6. Well, how it used to be was

If you didn't like bars that allowed smoking, you went to one that didn't.

Or people had smoking rooms inside away from people.

Now they are forced outside to smoke.

And their smoke has to compete with all the exhaust from cars that people drive (and I don't own a car).

Pretty sure the cars are worse - if I chain smoke in a closed garage for hours I will walk out ok. If I stay in same garage and let car run would be dead.

I hope someday people quite spewing out shit from their cars (and I live behind a freeway currently) that I don't want to breathe.

[JVS]

7. Does Bloomberg have some kind of hatred for convenience store owners?

It seems like he's always trying to make some kind of law that puts the screws to them.

[olddots]

11. Convenience can become very inconveniant

Strange how its against the law to commit suicide ( really dumb law ) but perfectly legal to purchase crap that scientifically kills the consumer .I miss the people who worked at the 7/11 and the guy who owns the cigarette store where I bought my 1 & 1/2 cartons of
Marlboro mediums from every week .They will survive and so will lots of customers .
The economy sucks and libertarian solutions of free enterprise at any cost are a simplistic answer to deep problems that may very well turn this planet into a dead rock .
I live in the first town in America that outlawed smoking outside of your own property and that kept me smoking for another 8 years because I am like everyone and want freedom and rights.......cancer sucks ,obesity sucks do I want what fox news deems a "nanny state " ? No but like I say cancer sucks .

[davidn3600]

8. Is this guy bored or something?

[Historic NY]

9. They almost hide themseleves at 12-14.50 per pack.

[Comrade Grumpy]

10. That's okay. I'm not buying cigarettes in NYC anyway, not at those prices.

I'll just run a van load up from North Carolina.