Bloomberg in LIC praises decline in city smoking

Yournabe.com reported on the positive impact of Mayor Bloomberg's anti-smoking policies in Long Island City.

While Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s anti-smoking policies have been criticized as draconian, he declared them a success on a visit to the city Department of Health in Long Island City, saying the number of adult smokers is at an all-time low of 14 percent.

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The mayor touted the decline in smoking residents early last Thursday at the DOH’s headquarters at 42-09 28th St. Bloomberg said the number of adult residents who smoke has decreased by 35 percent since 2002, the year the mayor’s Smoke Free Air Act was passed by the City Council. In that year, the number of smokers in the city was at a high of 22 out of every 100 residents.

Bloomberg said the decreases were the largest among teens and in the borough of Staten Island.

“It is promising to see so many are learning to conquer this bad habit so they can live longer and be more prosperous,” said state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), whose district encompasses the Health Department building, in a statement.

Read the full article here.