Although most public playgrounds are open air, it seems reasonable to prohibit smoking in such spaces both for the health of children who make such places their havens and because smoking sets a bad example for children.
The Hamilton County Commission will vote next week whether to support state legislation that would allow local governments to ban smoking on the grounds of any playground owned or operated by the local government. Currently, under the local 2015 "Smoke Free Community Initiative," 11 Hamilton County mayors have asked citizens and visitors not to smoke in parks and public places.
The new legislation, as introduced, authorized Knox County and Knoxville to prohibit, by local ordinance, smoking on the grounds of any playground owned or operated by the local government.
Current state law does not allow local governments to take action on a local level about smoking. If the local commission supports the legislation, a member of the Hamilton County legislative delegation likely will be asked to write an amendment for the House version, adding the population parameters of the county to the bill. Then if the bill were to become law, Hamilton County would be able to prohibit smoking in parks by local ordinance.
The bill passed the state Senate 31-0 Monday; in the House, it has been assigned to the Cities & Counties Subcommittee.
Since there is still time, we would like to see the legislation amended to include the use of tobacco and tobacco products, including vaping and e-cigarettes (the use of which have been on the rise in recent years).
As Becky Barnes, administrator of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department pointed out to Hamilton County commissioners Wednesday, smoking is still the No. 1 preventable cause of death, and most adult smokers began their habit before they were 18 years old.
We hope county commissioners enthusiastically support this legislation and that other municipalities opt in, too. A smoke-free, tobacco-free, vaping-free playground allows children to use the spaces for what they were designed and may give adults an extra incentive to play with their children and not spend such soon-gone moments puffing the time away.