Smoke for the Goose

Chris bongs, Iris breathes it in (Chron photo)

Not unexpectedly, a study has shown that marijuana bong smoke is dangerous. The revelation is that bong hits are much more harmful than tobacco smoke.

The results showed that cannabis smoke from the bong produced four times the particulate matter as the smoke produced by tobacco.

From the history of laws against tobacco, we should immediately expect California to enact legislation to protect its residents against bonging: [bold added]

California and its cities and counties have led the way in protecting residents and visitors from these harms through an array of smoking bans that include cigarettes, little cigars (or cigarillos), e-cigarettes, marijuana and hookah. The vast majority of California’s indoor spaces are protected from secondhand smoke, ensuring people breathe clean air while they are at work, school or play. Smoking is prohibited in most indoor places including public and private office buildings, public and private schools and universities, factories, warehouses, restaurants, bars, pool halls, movie theaters, hotel and motel lobbies and meeting rooms and even covered parking lots, among many, many other spaces. There are only a small number of exceptions to these state laws. Because American Indian tribes are sovereign entitities, their lands are not covered by state laws that prohibit smoking in indoor spaces. Many tribal casinos have adopted some policies restricting smoking in tribal gaming casinos and a few have adopted 100% smokefree policies.

Many of California’s outdoor spaces are also protected through local laws as well. To start, many of our parks and beaches have banned smoking to make visiting them more enjoyable to everyone. More than 100 cities and counties have passed comprehensive outdoor secondhand smoke ordinances that prohibit smoking in outdoor dining areas, public events, such as concerts and fairs, recreation areas, worksites and sidewalks. Hundreds more cities and counties have restricted smoking in the entryways of buildings, as well as service areas, which include places such as ATM lines, public transit stops, taxi stands and ticket lines.

Your humble blogger tried smoking cigarettes 50 years ago, didn't like it, and has never smoked since. As one whose allergies are triggered by tobacco smoke, I appreciate the widespread bans, but I think prohibiting smoke outdoors is going too far. I suspect that some of the animus is directed against people who smoke as well as the act itself.

The crowd who uses marijuana is not the same as the one that uses tobacco. If laws to protect bystanders against marijuana smoking are passed quickly, I will be wrong that there are elements of get-the-other-tribe in anti-tobacco ordinances.

But I'm not holding my breath.