The North Liberty City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to ban the use of nicotine and tobacco products at city parks, trails, ponds and ballfields.
North Liberty’s 20 parks include the 50-year-old Beaver Kreek Park, the Gooselake designated wetland area, Red Fern Dog Park and the 37-acre Penn Meadows Park, which features nine softball and baseball fields, two soccer fields, tennis courts, a volleyball court, playground equipment and a pedestrian trail.
Violators of the city’s new smoking and vaping restriction may face a $50 fine. The public is invited to report violations by calling 319-356-6800, a countywide, 24-hour non-emergency line.
Iowa’s 2008 Smokefree Air Act bans the smoking of tobacco products inside places of employment, including restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. The law does not extend to most outdoor areas — parking lots, parks, campsites, golf courses — instead allowing local governments to regulate as they see fit.
The Iowa City Council voted to ban the use of tobacco products in its parks in 2017. Cedar Rapids does not have a blanket tobacco ban, but has approved a range of restrictions, including a 2018 ban on smoking within 30 feet of anywhere children gather (including playgrounds, rec centers and golf clubhouses), but does not regulate e-cigarettes or chewing tobacco.
Johnson County Public Health issued a press release Thursday congratulating the City of North Liberty on the new regulations. Eliminating the smoke, vapor and trash associated with tobacco products increases visitors’ “enjoyment” of parks, JCPH said. They also took the time to highlight the health risks of smoking.
In Iowa, 5,100 adults die each year from their own smoking, and $1.3 billion in annual healthcare costs in Iowa are directly caused by smoking. In 2019, 22.7% of Iowa high school youth reported currently using any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes. Among Iowa high school youth, 6.7% reported currently smoking cigarettes. Tobacco/nicotine-free policies provide the opportunity to change community norms around tobacco and vaping use and help to reduce youth use.
JCPH said they will help spread word of North Liberty’s new restrictions. Seven-hundred parks in Iowa currently prohibit tobacco use, the department reports.
