NORML
Oakland, CA: Members of the Oakland City Council have voted to exempt cannabis from a proposed ordinance barring smoking in multi-unit residential dwellings.
Council members decided 6-0 in support of the exemption, which was supported by California NORML, on the bill’s first reading. Two members abstained. The final vote will be taken on December 3rd.
“Unlike tobacco, cannabis is illegal to consume in any public place in California. As a result, a ban on residential smoking would effectively leave the many Oaklanders who don’t have their own houses with no place to legally inhale cannabis, even for medical purposes,” California NORML opined.
California NORML’s Director Dale Gieringer further argued that cannabis smoke exposure does not pose the same potential risks to respiratory health as tobacco smoke.
According to a press release issued by California NORML: “Oakland joins West Hollywood in exempting cannabis from its anti-smoking ordinance. In San Jose, a nonsmoking ordinance was scrapped after activists pushed for a cannabis exclusion. San Francisco likewise scrapped a comprehensive smoking ban. However, anti-smoking activists have successfully campaigned for comprehensive smoking bans on cannabis and tobacco in numerous other California cities.”
Additional information is available from California NORML.
California: Oakland City Council Advances Proposal Exempting Cannabis From Residential Smoking Ban
