Davenport Considering Tobacco Ban in Parks and Golf Courses
Davenport Parks and Recreation board members approved a resolution Tuesday night that would ban all tobacco products from parks and golf courses. This according to a report in the Quad City Times.
Kim Mills, who works with the Scott County Health Department gave a presentation for the board last night advocating for the ban. She says smoking in public parks creates a littler problem with cigarette butts, that also can be a health concern for kids and animals. In addition the paper quoted her as saying, "it's about health."
The next step is to have the parks staff and Scott County health officials draft a policy that would be discussed by the parks board, and then eventually brought to City Hall for consideration.
My thoughts on this center around enforcement. While it's great to have tobacco free parks, how much manpower and police presence will it take to actually make parks tobacco free? How much time does Davenport's Police Department have to spend on enforcing an ordinance of this nature?
According to the paper, that's been the hang up from passing similar ordinances in the past. It may be just be a burden on the police department.
Here's an idea. If you're a smoker, a chewer, a vaper, be courteous. Don't engage in your habit around kids. Be mindful of the people around you (kids or adults) who might be bothered by what you're doing. Be excellent to the neighbors who are sharing the park or golf course with you. That would eliminate the need for the ordinance altogether.