Assemblyman Proposes Ban On All Tobacco Products At MLB Stadiums In California
SACRAMENTO (CBS) – Chewing tobacco could be completely banned from Major League Baseball stadiums, under a new bill being proposed by Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, D-Richmond.
The bill will be introduced Tuesday to keep all forms of tobacco completely out of AT&T Park, O.co Coliseum, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Dodger Stadium, and Petco Park.
Strongly discouraged in MLB, tobacco is already banned at minor league events -- something that's rarely enforced. Now Thurmond wants to make the ban formal at the highest level of the game in California.
The bill comes after retired Padres outfielder Tony Gwynn died of cancer of the salivary glands last June. It's believed his cancer was related to using chewing tobacco, which was and something Tony was convinced of. "Of course it caused it," said Gwynn, according to a 2011 ESPN.com article.
"Tony Gwynn was somebody I thought was a spokesman for baseball, a great role model as a person," Thurmond told Reuters. "I'm hopeful that this bill will lend to his legacy, that it will help to prevent illness for young people and young athletes."
Proponents of the ban say it would set the right example for kids and improve health of current baseball players.
If the law passes, the stadiums will be required to post signs about the ban at all entrances and in the dugouts.
