FORT COLLINS COLORADOAN - Expanded smoking restrictions go into effect in many places throughout Fort Collins on Tuesday.
As part of the smoking ordinance adopted by City Council earlier this year, smoking will no longer be permitted at city parks, trails or natural areas, or at any city facility and its grounds. This includes the three city-owned golf courses, the Lincoln Center and all recreation facilities.
The second phase of the ordinance goes into effect next year. Beginning Jan. 1, large events and festivals that require a city-issued special event permit will be smoke free, as will a Downtown Fort Collins zone that includes Old Town Square and Oak Street Plaza. A detailed map is posted at fcgov.com/smokefree.
"Secondhand smoke is harmful. So, our goal is to reduce secondhand smoke in public areas," Delynn Coldiron, the director of Neighborhood Services for the City of Fort Collins, said.
Fort Collins has long been a leader regarding smoking and our community's health, and these expanded ordinances build upon those earlier efforts. In 1984, Fort Collins was the first city in Colorado to pass a comprehensive smoking ordinance limiting smoking in public buildings and requiring restaurants to provide no-smoking sections. In 2003, Fort Collins was one of the first communities in the state to designate bars, restaurants and workplaces as smoke-free. The City's smoking ordinance was amended in 2006 to conform with the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act, which helped the community regulate smoking in all indoor public places.
Last year the ordinance was expanded to include smoke-free outdoor dining areas and bar patios; Transfort's public transit facilities, shelters, benches and platforms; and 100 percent of hotel and motel rooms within city limits. In addition, electronic smoking devices are prohibited in all places where conventional smoking is not allowed. The current regulation also prohibits smoking within 20 feet of doors and operable windows, which will remain in effect for all businesses outside of the Downtown smoke-free zone.
"We want to increase the health of our citizens, which is in alignment of our city strategic plan," Coldiron said. "We want to promote health and wellness in our community."
There is a growing local, national and global trend of governments and private organizations expanding the scope of their non-smoking regulations. A 2013 Gallup survey indicated 55 percent of Americans support banning smoking in public places, up from 30 percent in 2003. Local surveys conducted last year showed an even greater percentage of residents support such policies. Additionally, many municipalities in Colorado and nationwide have expanded their smoking ordinances to include electronic smoking devices.
Read the full report in the Fort Collins Coloradoan: http://noconow.co/1JA9OXP.
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