No Smoking - Even At Home?

(CBS)  Belmont, Calif., is home to a tough new anti-smoking law - and a tough old smoker, CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports.

Edith Frederickson came there from Germany 40 years ago and has been smoking two packs a day even longer than that. But now in Belmont it's illegal for her to light up inside her own home.

"Just the fact that somebody forces me to do something goes against my grain!" she said.

But Coralin Feierbach of the Belmont City Council says: "She's gonna have to smoke outside, where everybody else smokes."

Feierbach pushed Belmont's new law banning smoking inside apartments and condos to protect neighbors.

"Overwhelming evidence shows that secondhand smoke is dangerous, even for a few seconds," Feierbach said. "We don't want to be around anybody who smokes."

"This idea that I am killing other people is ridiculous!" Frederickson said. "Prove it!"

At 72, Frederickson rejects the science on smoking, insisting she's in robust health.

"The cigarettes aren't gonna kill me," she said. "They haven't done it yet."

Police don't go around peeking in apartment windows in Belmont. But if apartment building neighbors complain about a smoker next door, officers can come knocking.

Frederickson says what she does in her own apartment is no one else's business. We visited her before the law took effect when her home was still her castle.

"There has to be something in the Constitution that guarantees my happiness -- and smoking makes me happy," she said.

What also makes her happy right now is carrying the torch for smokers' rights - keeping the heat on city council.

"I don't know what to do!" Feierbach said. "I mean, maybe she'll move."

For now Frederickson seems immovable.

She won't admit to breaking the law, but she fumes, "just try" to catch her.

[martublade]

http://niconotnow.blogspot.com/

[godblessrusa]

GIVE ME A BREAK.GOD BLESSED OUR NATION ON TOBACCO,IF IT WAS SO BAD WE WOULD NOT HAVE A POPULATION TODAY.

[skinnyminny2]

Health issues aside, I hate it when someone''s smoke gets into my room or apartment. Not because of the ''health risk'' but because I do not want to smell like garbage, nor do I want my things to smell like garbage. How''d you like it if my Chanel got into your place?

Yeah, you guys who smoke in your homes and wallow in it reek. It''s your freedom to do so, of course, but the smell is so awful you might as well forego deodorant, too.

[rushman71]

I am laughing my arse off at the mentality of the people out in California, with their health-neo-nazi-conscious-will-not-tolerate-smokers!!! But you go out your way to tolerate everything else, including illegals and jotos!!! Their the ones killing our society, not the smokers!!!!

[junksdingy]

I''LL STOP SMOKING IN MY HOME, WHEN THEY PAY MY MORTGAGE & TAXES!

[barbaram99]

Sorry the foster parents in the homes did not smoke so I did grow up in no smoke homes, The cars are dirty. The landlard can say no smokimg in the apt building, That not the case where we live. I don''t care as long as they don''t smoke in our apt. All the businesses are smoke free. They have to go out side. That is the way it is. They aint going to quit till the smoker wants to quit or is forced to quit due to heatle issues,

[sdgal1]

"i think that people should not be able to overeat or be obese in public places" - Posted by zars4
------------------------------
obesity only hurts the person that is obese. smoking hurts innocent people around the smoker. there is a huge difference.

[mandylou4u]

As I recall, smokers foot the bill for a lot of things in their own state. Our state is raising the tax on a pack of smokes to foot the bill for a new trauma center in our capitol city. Why do you want us to quit smoking when we are contributing to things our state needs? And who introduced cigarettes to the public anyway?

[lalabradle]

don''''''''t like telling people what to do in their own homes, but when your smoking habit starts interfering with others to enjoy clean iar in comon spaces, that is a real problem. If these people were a little more mature and cooperative (and not smoke in halways, leave their dooor open, etc.), such measures wouldn''''''''t be necessary.


Clean air? In LA. LOL!!!!!!!

[lalabradle]

What''s really funny is, a lot of us grew up around smoke. Our parents and grandparents smoked around us, there were no issues. My father has been smoking for at least 50 years or more, he is now 76 years old and has no health problems, that''s right none. People smoked and drank and if you look at the old generation, a lot of them live to be 100+ whereas our newer generations only have a life expectancy of 65, go figure. I also smoke and I have no health issues. I''m not saying it''s good for you, but I just think it''s blown way out of proportion.