No more puffing away in DeKalb County parks--that includes the
Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, Oakhurst, Stone Mountain and over 100 more.
On Tuesday, the County Commission approved banning smoking from playgrounds, parks and service lines in DeKalb effective immediately. Even in line at the ATM it's prohibited.
“The best action at this point is to move in gradual steps,” said the health board director, Dr. Elizabeth Ford, who pushed for the ban. “Having our playgrounds and parks safe is at least a first step in protecting in our entire community.”
DeKalb is following the leads of Alpharetta, Roswell and Marietta that have banned outdoor smoking in their jurisdictions and has been a leader in the quest to limit where people can smoke. In 2003, the county adopted an ordinance that bans smoking in all enclosed workplaces, however exempting bars and restaurants where people under 18 cannot work or enter. Two years later, Georgia adopted a version of the Smokefree Air Act.
As for smoking still being permitted in bars and nightclubs, it's all about baby steps. “I want us to focus on the gradual steps it takes,” Commissioner Larry Johnson said. “We are moving in the right direction.”
