Sunday, March 15, 2026 3:35 PM
Photo: Christopher Shea / Rhode Island Current, used under CC BY 4.0
On the day that the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act was signed into law, it was snowing.
I can remember it clearly. The roads were slick and visibility poor on the drive to the bill signing, but that didn’t stop me — or anyone else. People came from every corner of the state, jubilant despite the dreary weather. Restaurant employees, medical leaders, and public health advocates with organizations like the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network had fought for years to secure smoke-free work environments for New Jerseyans, and I had stood alongside them, championing their fight as the lead sponsor of the Smoke-Free Air Act.