A report published in the Jan. 21 issue of The Ithaca Journal has identified New York with an "A" for smoke-free air laws. Released by the American Lung Association, the Tobacco Control report highlights laws that include its "significant process on smoke-free outdoor ordinances at the local level”.

A smoking sufferer, Cassandra Jardine, has demanded more steps to curb the addictive practice, which all know leads to the deadly disease cancer.

The head of the lung unit at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Mary O'Brien says, “Cancer is being discovered in ever-younger patients. My youngest patient is 26. He has been smoking cannabis, which seems to carry high risk because it is smoked with loose tobacco, no filter, and the smoke is held in the lungs for a long time”.

Efforts towards putting to an end the menace of smoking in New York funding for smoking prevention were notable, though this time for its failing grade. Notably, these resources are critical supports for the smoke-free air laws.

The first thing is that smokers who are encouraged to give up smoke-free air laws require easy access to cessation services. And the second fact is that they need aggressive measures to counter the billions spent by the tobacco industry on marketing that lures our youth to try smoking.