Re: Smoke-free outdoor spaces
On Monday, Red Deer city council will vote on proposed amendments to create smoke-free buffer zones around outdoor play spaces such as playgrounds, sports fields, spray parks and toboggan hills.
The most significant issue debated by council is whether this policy will be enforceable. The time it takes for someone to smoke a cigarette is seldom long enough for enforcement officers to be notified and dispatched to catch them in the act.
Does that mean this bylaw is doomed to be ineffective? Not at all.
To truly evaluate the effectiveness of a bylaw, policy makers need to assess the change in attitudes and behaviours it affects, not simply the number of tickets issued. Successful bylaws set standards that quickly become social norms if public will exists and education reaches the people who need it.
Canadian studies have found this type of outdoor smoking policy has significant impact despite the challenges of enforcement. Overall compliance is high and smokers report smoking less around kids.
Furthermore, one study reports that 12 per cent of people who smoke claimed to be trying to quit because of the bylaw. In another study, 40 per cent of successful quitters reported their city’s outdoor smoking bylaw helped them to butt out for good.
Red Deer’s outdoor play spaces are important areas for children to enjoy safe and healthy forms of recreation. Exposure to smoking in these places perpetuates smoking as a social norm and contributes to second-hand smoke exposure.
As we debate whether or not to take the next step in smoke-free public policy, let’s not allow questions about tickets and fines overshadow the more important question of whether such a policy will effectively improve the health of our kids and communities — the evidence suggests that it will.
Sarah Hawkins
Public Policy Analyst
Canadian Cancer Society, Alberta/N.W.T., Red Deer