Lewisville, an example from Texas

On April 20, the Lewisville City Council in the state of Texas in the United States voted unanimously in favor of banning tobacco and electronic nicotine devices in all public parks.[1] of the city.

Stacie Anaya, director of Lewisville's parks and recreation department, said banning tobacco and nicotine-based electronic devices will enhance the visitor experience and help the city protect the environment.[2].

Anaya had previously intervened with city councilors to advocate for the need for smoke-free public parks, primarily for the health and safety of visitors and secondary for environmental protection.

Smoking kills. Every year, 8 million people die from smoking-related illnesses, and about 1.2 million of them are non-smokers who were exposed to tobacco smoke.[3]. Therefore, these preventive initiatives are welcome to effectively combat the leading cause of avoidable mortality.

Beyond that, the director of the parks and recreation department insisted on the need for such bans for the safety of visitors. These heavily wooded public spaces have, until now, constantly posed the threat of fire, with cigarette butts frequently thrown on the ground. Of course, the ban on smoking in public parks will also most certainly be beneficial for other areas such as maintenance. Lewisville maintenance workers had indeed noted that cigarette butts were the primary source of waste found in these public spaces.

©Generation Without Tobacco

[1] https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/lewisville-parks-to-become-tobacco-free-sites/2357894/

[2] https://northdallasgazette.com/2020/04/27/lewisville-parks-to-become-tobacco-free-sites/

[3] https://www.who.int/fr/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco

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