New York Smoking Ban In Parks Yields No Tickets

New York City smokers may end up breathing a sigh of relief.

The New York Post reports that, since the city's new ban on smoking in parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas went into effect on Monday, not a single $50 ticket has been issued for the offense.

Officials told the Post that the Parks Department's 125-member enforcement team is "using their judgement" while enforcing the law.

In February, Mayor Bloomberg admitted that the law would mostly be enforced by members of the public who chastised scofflaw smokers. The NYPD is facing steep budget cuts, and officers could not be expected to devote much of their time to the new law, Bloomberg said.

The newest ban on lighting up in certain public places, coupled with the already in-place ban on smoking in bars and restaurants have made the city much less smoker friendly. The seemingly ever-rising cost of smokes in the city helped convince Brooklyn's Audrey Silk to start growing her own tobacco, as seen in this original video by Brooklyn Ink.

WATCH how she does it:

Growing Cigarettes from Brooklyn Ink on Vimeo.