The Minneapolis Park and Recreation board is poised to ban smoking throughout the city’s parks — and become the first in Minnesota to ban e-cigarettes.
The current smoking ban, enacted in May 2010, applies within 100 feet of park buildings, playgrounds, pools and water play areas, on beaches, in park buildings and in park vehicles. Smoking is also banned within 50 feet of bleachers and youth athletic fields.
“I think people are comfortable with banning smoking throughout the parks,” said Park Commissioner John Erwin, who along with Commissioner Jon Olson, proposed the total ban. “Smoking pretty clearly isn’t something that makes people healthy.”
Olson admits to being a smoker himself and is the person who advocated for including e-cigarettes in the policy. “There’s been enough time, it shouldn’t be a big issue for people,” he said.
“We don’t know a whole lot about the vapor and what is in the vapors,” said Olson, “People say it’s harmless but there is plenty of information that says it’s not.”
According to Erwin, “The existing policy was a great first step but it’s difficult to enforce,” noting that it is challenging for the public and Park Police Officers to measure the distance someone might be from a facility. “It makes it difficult for users to know where they can smoke.”
The current policy is not an ordinance, so park policy can’t issue a citation to offending smokers, only ask them to leave the parks.
Erwin and Olson have not decided whether the new ban would be an ordinance — but if it is, Erwin said he would like to delay issuing tickets for a year to give park patrons time to learn the new rules.
“I believe that when people go to parks they don’t want to inhale what other people are giving off,” Erwin added.
Currently, smoking is also banned from park gardens including the Sculpture Garden, The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, The Rose Garden and the Roberts Bird Sanctuary, as well as the Lake Harriet Bandstand and the Wirth Winter Recreation Area.
The organization Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation lists tobacco restriction for 48 park organizations in the metropolitan area. Of those, half are given a high score for smoking bans including Golden Valley, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park and Maple Grove.
Minneapolis currently scores low.
“These policies are about smoking, not about the smokers,” said Emily Anderson of Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation who is pleased to see Minneapolis including the e-cigarette in its proposed smoking ban.
“The e-cigarette is so new it’s not in other park policies,” Anderson said. “The e-cigarette market is largely controlled by the tobacco industry, they don’t have peoples health in mind.
“We have worked really hard to get tobacco out of the public eye,” said Anderson noting that an entire generation of young people has grown up without seeing people smoking in restaurants, in offices and public buildings.
When Parks Commissioner Brad Bourn pushed for a total smoking ban four years ago, Erwin and Olson were among those opposed. “It sounds like there are folks who have changed their minds,” Bourn said.
Looking back Olson says “I really felt like we needed more time to get people comfortable with it (a total ban)” when he voted on the current policy. “It really spoke of big government pushing people around.”
“People have had time to get used to it,” said Olson. “I think it’s great.”
The first public discussion of the proposed comprehensive smoking ban is scheduled for June 4, at a 5:20 p.m. Recreation Committee meets at 2117 West River Road.
Where there’s smoke, there’s barbecue , so…
…how does one separate the two?
Never been a smoker but I do wonder how banning smoking in city parks does contain, a consistent message…what about smoking barbecues and picnics in the park regulated; sans camp fires?
Well, there goes the Girl Scout marshmallow roast to be consistent?
Of course, as one who lives next to a bus stop and picks up those butts all over the yard, I find that offensive as the smoke maybe?
Don’t forget the greater butt, that giant ‘super-dooper cigarette’ – smoke stack that resides unregulated two blocks away as industry puffs the big one, its residual toxic waste floating above the swings and in the playground? Got to get them all regulated here I suppose?
This could be the beginning of something great, greater:
sounds like a wee policy that must recognize those greater ambitions…good luck, yes indeed.
ban all use of medical inhalers too!
just like e-cigs people are exhaling dangerous chemicals
and obnoxious fumes also.just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean its not there.
think of all the harm to the children,elderly,and pregnant woman.
they both contain the same basic ingredients,so inhalers and
ecigs must logically be the same.don’t over look this opportunity
to protect public health and the chillin’.
What dangerous chemicals?
For a moment there, I thought you were being serious, until I saw the topic.
There are virtually undetectable ingredients in exhaled vapor.
The nicotine is absorbed so readily into the vaper’s lungs that virtually none is exhaled.
Here is a link to a bunch of things that contains Propylene Glycol, including baby oil, baby toothpaste, baby shampoo, listerine, deodorant….
http://www.goodguide.com/ingredients/37423-propylene-glycol
… and here’s a link to vegetable glycerin…
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/what-is-vegetable-glycerin/
So… if PG and VG are both considered safe and approved by the FDA, you’re already eating, drinking, and smearing it on your teeth and body…. and the nicotine is absorbed into the vaper, then what is left that is “dangerous”?
… maybe it’s that nice butterscotch scent…
ya noe
😉
Never mind doing any research —
— just ban the eCigs. There, we’ve achieved something. Well, yes, it IS something stupid and pointless, but at least we can say “There, see, we’re doing SOMETHING.”
What about…
If it medical marihuana that is prescribed by a doctor with a note?