Prepare to say goodbye to being able to light up a cigarette while you wait outside the airport for friends and family to arrive in New Jersey.
Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday signed a bill (A5028) that make outdoor drop-off and pickup locations at airports the latest places in the Garden State where smoking is illegal.
The law will take effect in June.
Smoking was already barred at indoor areas in the state’s airports. But sponsors say people often have to walk by smokers to get inside and that smoke sometimes drifts into baggage claim areas from outside.
They say the goal of the law is to protect millions of visitors and residents who pass through New Jersey airports from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
“When it comes to secondhand smoke, we know the harm it can do to a person, especially children,” said state Assemblyman Herb Conaway, D-Burlington, a sponsor of the measure.
“Exposure can cause serious health issues from asthma attacks to an increased risk for strokes, lung cancer and coronary heart disease. By not allowing individuals to smoke in this particular area, we protect passengers, families and children who shouldn’t be around secondhand smoke.”
The law is the latest revision to the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act, which was enacted in 2006 to prohibit smoking at most indoor public places, like restaurants, bars, stores, and workplaces.
Murphy signed an update last year that outlaws lighting up at public beaches and state parks.
This new law will exempt any federal or military-owned airport in the state.
The legislation easily passed both houses of the New Jersey Legislature — 38-2 in the state Senate and 70-6, with 1 abstention, in the state Assembly.
Secondhand smoke contributes to about 34,000 heart disease deaths and 7,300 lung cancer deaths each year in the U.S., and it can lead to health issues like lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and asthma, according to the federal Centers For Disease Control.
This law is named for James Nicholas Rentas, a Bayonne restauranteur and businessman who smoked for 30 years before quitting after a heart attack. Rents died in 2007 after being diagnosed with colorectal cancer — which doctors said tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure helped bring on.
New Jersey is also one of only 16 states where you must be 21 to legally smoke. Meanwhile, Murphy signed a separate law Tuesday that bans flavored vaping products in the state.
Brent Johnson may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01.
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