MADC Letter of SupportRECOVEW'),
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July 19, 2010 CIN 0FC�r - <:
Parks &
Dear Meridian Parks and Recreation Commission:
The Mayor's Anti -Drug Coalition supports tobacco -free environments for our
community. Each year in Idaho, more than 1,200 young people under the age of 18
become new daily smokers. Alcohol and tobacco may act as gateway agents, individually
or together, to further drug use.(1) Supporting tobacco -free parks and recreation areas
makes sense as it sends the right message — that tobacco use is unhealthy and an
unnecessary behavior.
Children who see adults using tobacco in a family -friendly place like a park may think
smoking is acceptable and are more likely to mimic the behavior. Tobacco -free policies
encourage young people to make healthy choices. The more tobacco -free environments a
community provides, the fewer opportunities for youth to start smoking.
Secondhand smoke near children, youth and adults participating in or watching
recreational activities is unhealthy and harmful to the health of others. Secondhand
smoke levels in outdoor public places can reach levels as high as those found in indoor
facilities where smoking is permitted.
Tobacco use not only exposes park visitors to the harmful effects of secondhand smoke,
but it is also a nuisance and safety concern. The litter caused by tobacco use diminishes
the beauty of the city's park areas and can be accidentally ingested by young children or
pets. Our city parks should be places where we can go to improve our health and fitness
or just relax in a healthful environment.
The Mayor's Anti -Drug Coalition encourages you to prohibit tobacco use in the
playground areas within Meridian City Parks and would not discourage the City of
Meridian from considering an even stronger, more inclusive policy to prohibit park -wide
tobacco use.
Thank you,
Fred Kesler
Chair, Mayor's Anti -Drug Coalition
(1) Scheier LM, Botvin GJ, Griffin KW. Preventive intervention effects on developmental progression in drug
use: structural equation modeling analyses using longitudinal data Prev Sci 2001;2(2):91-112.