Outdoor smoking not a health issue

A councilor with the City Council of Banks, Oregon, has made the point that banning tobacco smoking in public parks is about preference not public health, according to a story by Samantha Swindler for The Oregonian.

When a ban was last discussed in September, councilor Mark Gregg was one of its most vocal opponents.

But by the time that the council had revisited the issue this month he had softened his stance.

He said he could support a ban if that’s what residents wanted, but he wanted references to outdoor smoking as a ‘public health risk’ stricken from the ordinance.

“If our citizens want it, I’m fine with it. I just want to remove saying this is [about] public health,” he said.