Proposal Banning Chewing Tobacco From NYC Ballparks Advances

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — A ban on chewing tobacco and other smokeless tobacco products at ballparks and stadiums in New York City is one step closer to becoming a reality.

The City Council's Health Committee approved the measure 6-0 on Monday.

The legislation now moves on to the full City Council.

Both the Yankees and Mets support the idea, and the bill's sponsor, Councilmember Corey Johnson of Chelsea, hopes the ban will be in place for Opening Day at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field.

"The teams are on board, which means that they're going to ensure that their players don't use it on the field, spectators  are also not going to be allowed to use it," Johnson said. "We want it in place and enforced by the time Opening Day comes around."

Chewing tobacco has been linked to cancer and mouth disease. It's estimated that the number of children using it doubled from 2007 to 2013.

"Smokeless tobacco among  young people has remained at a steady rate, and hasn't declined," Johnson said. "So we're hoping that this proposal will actually make a difference in getting more young people to not use smokeless tobacco."

Johnson said pro-athletes' use of dip makes chewing tobacco socially acceptable, especially among young male athletes.

"When athletes who are role models to children are regularly shown on TV with a wad of chewing tobacco in their cheek, that sends a harmful message that smokeless tobacco is fun and socially acceptable," Johnson said.

At a hearing last month, the health department's senior legal counsel Kevin Schroth said every year roughly 415,000 kids nationwide try smokeless tobacco. He said young people repeatedly see professional athletes, especially baseball players, use chewing tobacco and that makes it socially acceptable.

The ban is opposed by the players union, 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reported.

The death of Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn from cancer of the salivary glands spurred Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles to enact bans on chewing tobacco in their ballparks.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)