Mall to implement tobacco-free policy

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) - Starting Thursday, the Walden Galleria is going completely tobacco-free. That includes: outside the stores, parking lots and anywhere else on the property. For several years, it's been illegal to smoke indoors in New York State, but this policy would include the areas around.

Dr. Andrew Hyland with the Roswell Park Cancer Institute says it's a step in the right direction.

"I think it exemplifies how social norms have really changed. Ten to 15 years ago really this would be a radical idea. And today, it's the norm," he noted.

According to a spokesperson for the Galleria, the ban includes all forms of smoking, including electronic cigarettes. In fact, the kiosk that sells the e-cigarettes inside the mall will have its lease terminated. The tobacco ban also includes the areas outside of restaurants.

Dr. Hyland said, "As people understand more and more of the dangers of secondhand smoke, more places are beginning to wonder about running through the gauntlet of smoke into the entrances and also what kind of role modeling it has for kids and for young people."

According to Roswell Park, 25,000 people still die every year in New York State from tobacco use. But Dr. Hyland says overall numbers are declining.

"It's going down maybe three or four percent per year. A lot of that is driven by the policies that New York State and here locally that have been enacted. The cigarette prices are among the highest in the country; you can't smoke in bars and restaurants. We see hard hitting public service announcements educating people about the dangers of tobacco use. So I think we're going in the right direction but there's still a long, long way to go,' Dr. Hyland said.

The Galleria spokesperson also told News 4 the ban will apply to all mall employees, including delivery people, contractors and construction workers.

You can find more details about the policy here.