Call it what it is….another government overreach. How does that feel Californians? You may or may not be a smoker, but what I can tell you is that you just lost another freedom. Think it stops there? Think again.

San Rafael is the state’s ninth municipality to completely restrict smoking in multi-unit housing, said Pam Granger, advocacy manager for the American Lung Association in California. Granger said California was the only state where local jurisdictions have banned smoking in homes.

Supporters of the San Rafael measure say it would protect bystanders from the health hazards associated with secondhand smoke, a known carcinogen that can seep through ventilation ducts, doorways and open windows in residential units with shared walls, California Watch reported.

Although the ordinance has generally been supported by residents who have spoken at city council meetings, the proposal has set the stage for a fierce fight over how far the government should go in regulating peoples’ private lives.

“This proposed smoking ban actually intends to punish people for what they do in their own homes,” Thomas Ruppenthal told the city council. “I really feel this is tyranny.” Read here