Smokefree protections in San Francisco may expand—and roll back


San Francisco is currently considering two separate proposals that would have significant impacts on smokefree air protections in the city—one in a positive direction, the other in a backwards direction.

Learn more about what’s at stake, and how to take action to support smokefree spaces.

👍Smokefree bar patios:

In the positive direction, a long-running campaign would expand smokefree protections to more workers by ending smoking and vaping on bar patios throughout the city. San Francisco Tobacco Free Coalition partners have been building awareness and support about the need for bar patios to become a smokefree environment because bar staff are some of the only workers in San Francisco who are still having to breathe secondhand smoke on the job.

San Francisco has long been a leader in tobacco prevention, but has fallen behind its Bay Area peers when it comes to patios. San Francisco would be in good company by joining Oakland, San Jose, and more than 50 other cities and counties in the Bay Area, along with more than 120 communities around the state that have adopted these policies locally.

Contact the Board of Supervisors to voice your opinion in support of smokefree bar patios. Click here for talking points to send a quick email.

👎Cannabis cafés:

In the backwards direction, San Francisco may permit cannabis cafés, which could allow smoking and vaping cannabis indoors. San Francisco already allows cannabis retailers to have a smoking lounge, and this ordinance would allow these spaces to operate as cafés, restaurants, and entertainment venues, which would significantly expand where cannabis smoking and vaping is allowed indoors.

It’s outrageous that San Francisco could roll back smokefree workplace protections back to the early 1990s, before workers and patrons were protected from secondhand smoke in hospitality workplaces. Staff at the cannabis cafés would be exposed to increased indoor air pollution in order to do their job, and these workers — plus musicians, comedians, & other entertainers who perform there — will have to make the difficult choice between their health and their paycheck.

Update

Current status: The ordinance was scheduled for a hearing on June 8 at the Land Use and Transportation Committee and it’s critical that Supervisors hear from supporters this week. We especially need to them to hear from people who work at or go to bars in San Francisco that would be happy to see bar patios be free from smoking and vaping. The ordinance was originally going to be heard on May 18, then delayed to June 8..

We need you to speak up—click here to send an email in support of smokefree bar patios today. And stay tuned for our next action alert about cannabis cafes! It’s very important for the Board of Supervisors to hear from people about both proposals. Right now, Supervisors are getting emails and letters from people who oppose smokefree bar patios, and from cannabis businesses who want to expand indoor smoking. Supervisors now need to hear from people who believe all workers in San Francisco deserve a safe, healthy, smokefree worksite—no matter where they work. Join our action network to receive action alerts.

RESOURCES

Find all of ANRF’s marijuana and smokefree air resources at no-smoke.org/smokefree-threats/marijuana-smoke/. You can also access many more resources on our ProAccess online learning platform, including a four-part Marijuana and Smokefree Air learning module along with select scientific recordings from our monthly Office Hours. Learn more at: ProAccess.

The ANR Foundation is pleased to share its newest resource, Rolling Back Smokefree Protections: Expansion of Cannabis Smoking Lounges in California. This policy brief reviews the impact of the statewide laws that permit indoor smoking and vaping of cannabis products under certain conditions. Utilizing data from our U.S. Tobacco Related Laws Database© along with stories from colleagues and city partners, we document trends around what these policies look like, where they’ve been adopted, and whether communities allow the food and events components of the most recent statewide cannabis law. The brief includes several local examples and highlights materials and tools to help advocates be more prepared for rollback attempts.