Orchard Park is going smoke-free
About the only places smokers can light up are at home and outside, since the state’s indoor smoking ban took effect in 2003.
But now they can strike the outdoors — at least the parts owned by the Town of Orchard Park — from that list.
The town has become the first in Erie and Niagara counties to ban tobacco in its parks, beach and recreation areas.
“It’s just a very bad habit. I feel for people,” said Town Supervisor Janis Colarusso, who quit smoking five years ago. “It’s a very hard drug to get off.”
She said smokers should not impose their tobacco use on those who don’t smoke.
The town is taking a smoking ban a step further by making the town parks tobacco-free, not just smoke-free.
The designation was made in conjunction with the Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition, which is providing signs for the town areas. The sign was designed by local graphics artist Michael Margolis and entreats park and beach visitors not to smoke or litter.
“We’re looking for more opportunities to restrict smoking,” said coalition coordinator Anthony Billoni.
Billoni said the coalition is seeking more areas that will be smoke-free to help make smoking less prevalent in the community. It’s also trying to help the parks stay clean from dropped cigarette butts, while creating a better space for children.
“We’d just like there to be one more place where they don’t see people smoking,” Billoni said, adding that the less often children see others smoke, the smaller chance they have of taking it up.
The issue of secondhand smoke exposure remains, he said, but is less of a problem outside.
Smoking was banned in virtually all indoor public places in New York State in July 2003. And last August, the University at Buffalo became smoke-free inside buildings, outside buildings and in green space on campus.
While the signs will go up in Orchard Park, there are no penalties for smoking in the parks, beach and recreation areas.
“I believe the Town Board is hoping the residents of Orchard Park obey by seeing the signage,” Colarusso said.
“I think it’s a positive step,” Orchard Park Recreation Director Ed Leak said. “It’s more self-policing. The awareness will come.”
Billoni said that starting out with a nonbinding policy helps move a community in the direction of being smoke-free.
“The state loves to see local precedence,” he said, noting it was after Erie and Nassau counties put smoking bans into effect that New York State adopted its law banning smoking in public buildings.
By Barbara O’Brien, Buffalonews
