New Guidance Available to Support Communities Creating Smokefree Outdoor Areas

California communities interested in regulating smoking in outdoor areas will be interested in a new publication from The Law and Policy Partnership to End the Commercial Tobacco Epidemic. This group, a collaboration between the Public Health Law Center and the American Lung Association, just released a new model ordinance that California cities and counties interested in creating smoke-free or tobacco-free outdoor areas will find useful.

January, 2021

By: Law and Policy Partnership to End the Commercial Tobacco Epidemic

More and more communities in California and across the US are working to make sure our outdoor spaces—parks, playgrounds, beaches—are free of tobacco smoke and waste. New guidance from The Law and Policy Partnership to End the Commercial Tobacco Epidemic offers cities and counties several options to consider as they work to create smoke-free or tobacco-free outdoor areas in their communities.
Over the last decade, many California communities have passed tobacco-free laws or regulations that cover outdoor areas such as parks, recreational facilities, beaches, outdoor workplaces, restaurant and bar patios, transit waiting areas, and public events such as county fairs and farmers’ markets. As of January 2019, more than 235 California cities and counties had adopted outdoor secondhand smoke ordinances.2
The Smoke-and Tobacco-Free Outdoor Areas Model Ordinance was prepared for California cities and counties interested in creating smoke-free or tobacco-free outdoor areas in their jurisdiction.
To read the model ordinance click here: https://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/files/resources/Outdoor-Smoke-free-Model-Ordinance.pdf
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