TITLE
Ordinance supplementing the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title IV: Public Places and Property, Article XI: Parks and Playgrounds, Chapter 473: Use Regulations, § 473.05 - Behavior; by adding new language designating parks and playground as “Tobacco-Free.”
BODY
WHEREAS, in Pennsylvania, more than 858,000 young people are exposed to tobacco smoke pollution every day; and
WHEREAS, the United States Surgeon General has stated that there is no safe level of exposure, whether indoors or outdoors, and that children’s exposure to secondhand smoke causes increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, lower respiratory infections, middle ear diseases, more severe asthma, respiratory symptoms and slowed lung growth, and is responsible for the premature deaths of more than 430,000 Americans each year from lung cancer, heart disease, respiratory illness and other diseases; and
WHEREAS, secondhand smoke is responsible for more than 50,000 deaths among nonsmokers each year; and
WHEREAS, tobacco kills more Americans each year than alcohol, cocaine, heroin, homicide, suicide, accidents, fire and AIDS combined; and
WHEREAS, 80 percent of smokers started smoking before the age of 18, and the average initiation age is 12 years old; and
WHEREAS, everyday, an estimated 3,900 young people under the age of 18 try their first cigarette. Furthermore, one-third of these children will die prematurely from tobacco related illnesses; and
WHEREAS, this Ordinance will promote non-smoking behavior to children and youth, and will provide children, youth and their families with a safe, smoke-free environment.
Now therefore be it resolved by the Council of the City of Pittsburgh as follows:
Section 1.
City of Pittsburgh Code, Title Four (“Public Places and Property”), Article XI (“Parks and Playgrounds”), Chapter 473 is hereby amended and supplemented as follows:
ARTICLE XI: - PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS
CHAPTER 473: - USE REGULATIONS
§ 473.05 - BEHAVIOR
(h) All public parks and playgrounds where children are present in the City of Pittsburgh are hereby designated as tobacco-free. Smoking and Tobacco Usage. All park facilities, as that term is defined in § 477.01(b)(2), and including but not limited to parks, playgrounds and pools in the City of Pittsburgh, are hereby designated as tobacco-free. This prohibition shall apply to the consumption of all tobacco products including smokeless tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, and / or any other tobacco substitute product that creates smoke or other vapors and regardless of whether it produces an odor of any kind.
(i) The Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation shall post appropriate signage designating smoke-free and tobacco-free areas that parks and playgrounds are tobacco-free areas and promulgate provisions for enforcement.
Section 2.
This Ordinance shall take effect immediately.