Anti-Smoking Mike Dubious of Cigarette Arrests

NEW YORK, NY — Mayor Bloomberg indicated yesterday that he supports the idea of a smoking ban in parks and beaches, but has reservations about how it would be enforced.

“Nobody is more of a believer in saving lives and stopping smoking,” Bloomberg said. “In fact, we already ban smoking, for example, in playgrounds.”

But at the same time, he conceded, “There’s also the practical aspect of how we can enforce it. Our Police Department has enough to do. They can’t be going around giving tickets.”

The ban wouldn’t apply to entire parks, only selected areas where large crowds might gather, such as the Sheep Meadow in Central Park.

Aides could not explain why the Health Department put forward the proposal before the enforcement issue was resolved.

Still, Bloomberg sounded tougher than ever toward smokers.

“Make no mistake about it,” he said. “This city is not walking away from our commitment to make it as difficult and as expensive to smoke as we possibly can, and also to spend every ounce of intellectual capital we have [to stop smoking].”