FULTON – City of Fulton passes new policy to prohibit smoking of any kind at all city parks and city property.
Fulton, NY August 2024 – On June 18, Fulton Mayor Jim Rice of the Fulton and the Common Council held a public hearing to discuss and vote on an amendment to the current smoke-free policy for outdoor recreational areas. The amendment was approved and went into effect in July. The policy now states that any tobacco, nicotine or cannabis product cannot be smoked or vaped in any public city parks or on any city property. This policy has created smoke-free outdoor areas that allow everyone to enjoy their time in parks without the burden of smoke from these products. We applaud the City of Fulton City Council members for taking this important step to protect the health of their residents.
Smoke-free outdoor areas are beneficial for many people but especially children, as tobacco litter and secondhand smoke pose significant hazards. Secondhand smoke is a product of burning tobacco and the smoke exhaled from smokers, including smoke from vapes/e-cigarettes as well. There are over 7000 chemicals found in secondhand smoke with at least 70 of them being known to cause cancer. There are no safe levels of secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke isn’t the only negative impact tobacco has on the environment, tobacco products such as cigarette butts, plastic packaging and disposable vapes/e-cigarettes are heavily littered items. Cigarette butts are the most littered item worldwide and are often found in parks, playgrounds, beaches, waterways, and sidewalks. When these products are left on the ground, the chemicals found in them can leach into the ground and water supply. Discarded cigarette butts may also pose a choking hazard for children and animals.
When a smoke-free policy is implemented for common outdoor areas, it not only protects the environment, but it allows residents to have clean air and healthy public spaces, and reduces modeling of smoking to children. When people are using common public areas to smoke, they are showing younger generations that it is an acceptable and desirable adult behavior.
More and more municipalities, worksites, and multi-unit housing are opting to have smoke-free policies in place due to their health benefits. If you would like to see more smoke-free outdoor areas in your community, ask your local representatives about their smoke-free policies. For more information and guidance on how to implement a smoke-free policy for your community, contact Tobacco-Free CNY at tobaccofreecny.org or 315-435-3280.
How come you are allowing homeless to live in the downtown Gazebo?? Also, not good for the community!!!
Doesn’t smoke rise? I get banning it within say 10 feet of the playground or ball fields but all together give me a break. I don’t smoke but if you’re smoking you’re an adult. Stop the many state crap. Then ban all drinking, drug use, kids under 18 not supervised, dogs (they poop everywhere which is even more hazardous), crying children for ear damage, birds and whatever else.
I’d rather smell a cigarette than the weed that you smell everywhere!