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West Pittston Borough council on Tuesday unanimously passed an expansion on last September’s smoking ban, now making it illegal for anyone to smoke on public property. The previous ordinance banned anyone under 18 from using tobacco products in West Pittston’s public areas, such as parks and borough buildings.
The aim of the new ordinance isn’t to ban smoking outright, Goldsworthy said.
“Some of my council members smoke,” he said. “We just don’t want kids to smoke, and we feel that young people see adults smoking and that influences them … Our children deserve a clean place to play.”
Melissa Rehrig, a coordinator with Steps to a Healthier Pa. Luzerne County, presented council with six signs proclaiming “Young Lungs at Play.” The signs will be placed in the borough’s three parks.
Goldsworthy said his next mission is to clean up cigarette litter. Keep America Beautiful, a nonprofit organization, recently awarded West Pittston $1,500 in grant money to place cigarette receptacles around the borough. The borough will also hand out 1,000 “pocket ashtrays” so smokers have a portable disposal container for cigarette butts.
Goldsworthy mentioned state smoking laws do not expressly prohibit underage smoking, which is why he proposed the original ordinance. Minors caught smoking in West Pittston face either a $100 fine or smoking cessation classes through Wyoming Valley Drug and Alcohol Services. Goldsworthy said several minors have since been cited under the ordinance, but wasn’t sure how many opted to take the cessation classes.
“What the (state) law actually says, is you cannot sell cigarettes to anyone under 18,” he said. “It doesn’t say anything about actually smoking them. We don’t want the money. We’d rather them get the help to stop smoking.”
No one spoke for or against the ordinance during the public comment session.
“I don’t smoke, so I think it’s fantastic,” said West Pittston resident Rosemary DeNisco. She said cigarette litter is a constant problem near her house, especially from teenagers throwing the butts from their cars as they leave the high school.
West Pittston’s decision comes a day after the Municipality of Kingston amended its smoking ban to include public parks.
“If we can help people not to smoke, or to cut down on their smoking, we could save a life,” Goldsworthy said. “I’m excited. I’m hoping our community is leading the way for a healthier valley.”
rgrochowski@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2100
