The City of Tulsa is moving to expand a ban on smoking in public places.
Currently, city ordinances prohibit smoking within public buildings or enclosed areas. A new ordinance would expand that not only to cover smokeless tobacco and vaping, but also to prohibit the use of those products on all city-owned or city-operated property. That includes parks and golf courses but not streets or sidewalks.
Senior Assistant City Attorney Mark Swiney said the benefits go beyond the immediate effects on public health.
"Once this ordinance is enacted, the city, then, will become eligible for certain grants and other benefits through the state tobacco fund," Swiney said.
Violators would be fined between $10 and $100.
Tulsa Health Department Executive Director Bruce Dart said science has concluded vaping is dangerous.
"Many people think that it's used to actually help you stop smoking. It doesn't. It's a vehicle to start smoking," Dart said. "The demographic between 18 to 24 is vaping more now than using tobacco. It's dangerous to fetuses, to pregnant women, to youth. Young people's brains are still developing, so they're very much at risk with vaping."
Dart said secondhand vapors contain around 7,000 noxious chemicals, while secondhand smoke contains 9,000.
The city could adopt and enact the ordinance within the month.
