“On the 4th of July we are going to have in Rosario an ordinance that raises awareness among those who smoke in open environments, especially in those places where there are children’s games, aerobic circuits where gymnastics are done and even at the doors of hospitals and sanatoriums. “The idea is not to punish but to begin to accept the harm that cigarettes do to us.” The idea of prohibiting pucho in open environments and the ordinance that would regulate them is the work of radical councilor Anahí Schibelbein, who thus predicts the time when her project will finally see the light of day in the area. This last week she went through the Budget committee and returned to Health to finalize details: specify the prohibition in the area of children’s games and withdraw the inclusion of this rule in the Coexistence Code to avoid a sanctioning objective. “We want to raise awareness, not raise money with fines,” said the mayor.
Schibelbein highlights in his project that the World Health Organization says “that tobacco smoke kills 8 million smokers. To this are added 1.2 million non-smoking victims who are forced to breathe tobacco smoke.” cigarette”. “The smoke,” he adds, “that emanates from a lit cigarette contains more than 7,000 toxic substances and about 70 substances that cause cancer. This causes exposure to tobacco smoke in childhood to increase the risk of suffering from asthma by up to 40%, increase 30% increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and increase the risk of lung cancer by 25%.
“That’s why,” he said to Rosary/12– this project to create smoke-free public spaces and propose that smoking be prohibited in the vicinity of schools, hospitals and recreation spaces for children.”
As established in the operative part of the ordinance, “they are open and semi-open spaces where smoking, holding lit tobacco, using electronic cigarettes, and other electronic vaping systems are prohibited, which will be delimited by the Municipal Executive Department.”
Strictly speaking, the standard establishes objectives linked to healthy public spaces, educational actions, prevention campaigns on smoking in particular, awareness-raising tasks, and even “developing social awareness about the right of non-smokers to breathe air without the environmental pollution produced.” from tobacco smoke.”
The measure covers play areas for boys and girls, sandboxes, aerobic stations, areas for practicing sports and children’s recreation in squares, parks and public walks; paths of care and hospitalization establishments, paths of educational institutions of all levels, among others. Finally, it includes specific signage in the aforementioned spaces indicating the prohibition of smoking.
It should be added that regarding this file, Councilor Julia Irigoitia, from the Justicialista bloc, asked to abstain from the vote and argued the need to consult the position of the interbloc. Now the proposal returns to the Health Commission to ratify the office and then go to the session floor.
As Schibelbein explained to this newspaper, “the modification we made this week is that you cannot smoke in the games environment, but we clarified that it is logical that in an open space, if you move fifty meters away you will be able to smoke.” .
The second modification is that “we decided to shorten the time and withdraw any sanction including the ordinance in the Code of Coexistence because in this way we prevent it from going through the Government commission, and delaying the time. That is why I say that we simply want to generate a culture Of good health”.
Finally, the councilor clarifies that the rule includes electronic cigarettes or vaping devices. “The World Health Organization warns that this is a culture that has been widely established in young people between 13 and 18 years old, so the idea is precisely to start raising awareness about the consequences, because although tobacco is obviously bad, “The electronic cigarette also has its consequences and is included in the standard.”
Councilor Schibelbein’s initiative goes hand in hand with those already in force in Rosario, where since 2006 smoking has been prohibited in closed spaces of businesses, industries or institutions of all kinds, and since 2010 the ban has also been extended to spas and outdoor spaces. public or private free areas that are in direct contact with the Paraná River.
“We believe that it is necessary to minimize people’s exposure to the harmful effects of smoke from tobacco products. There are more and more cities both in the country and in the world that are expanding their spaces free of tobacco smoke due to its negative impact on people’s health and the Executive has the responsibility of advancing public policies that are aimed at reducing the population the morbidity and mortality caused by the active and passive consumption of tobacco in any of its forms,” considered Schibelbein, who recalled that the city of Mendoza already has similar legislation.
