ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — If you go to any public property in Rocky River, you may want to leave your cigarettes and your vapes behind. The City Council passed a vaping ban.
The ban covers all 11 city-owned parks, sidewalks and tree lawns. Public streets are not included in the ban.
"I’m a militant anti-smoker, and I think people should be able to enjoy the outdoors without having to breathe in cigarette smoke," Bruce Anderson, a resident of Cleveland, said.
The city instituted a similar ban in 2011 for all city-owned properties.
The ban also includes products that contain marijuana, not just nicotine. If you are caught smoking, the city says it's a minor misdemeanor and could cost you about $150.
Rocky River Resident Mary Jane Kubich is all for the ban.
"I don't like being surrounded by people that are smoking and kind of polluting my air," said Kubich. "It makes me uncomfortable, you know, to have to smell it.”
Rocky River joins a growing list of cities and communities regarding the ban or limited use of smoke and vape products on city-owned properties.
"What this is about is [about] helping people quit smoking, quit vaping," David Margolius, director of public health for the City of Cleveland, said.
Margolius told News 5 that Local officials are fighting back against the companies, especially those vaping companies targeting a younger audience to market their products.
"It's just one part of showing people that it's not... something we want to encourage. We want to support people on their journey to quit," he said.
Margolius says the city has a brief free program to help people to stop smoking. You can also call the statewide hotline 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
