Public smoking ban hits one year milestone

In January 2013, Orange County took a stand against the harmful effects of secondhand smoke by banning smoking in all public places — and a year later, the initiative seems to be working.

The Smoke-Free Public Places Rule was initiated by the Orange County Board of Health after the board looked at the health risks of secondhand smoke. It went into effect last January and went under enforcement in July.

According to official county documents, the rule prohibits smoking in all places where the public are invited or allowed, as well as on all outdoor property owned or controlled by the county.

This includes bus stops, private businesses, town and county property and vehicles, town and county employees and sidewalks.

And now, the rule is celebrating its first anniversary.

Stacy Shelp, the public information officer for the health department, said the department has already seen a decline in smoking in public places since July.

“We have seen immediate impact and a tremendous amount of support,” Shelp said.

“I would say that what we’re really looking at is a norm shift, a cultural change in that we’ll see less and less and less.”

According to a press release sent out by the health department, the rule emphasized educating the public on the harmful effects of secondhand smoke instead of issuing citations.

Shelp said the department has sent out 11 response teams to areas of high smoking prevalence to talk to people about the rule and collect data.

“We have seen a tremendous amount of awareness about the rule when we’re talking to people,” she said.

The teams also collect cigarette butts and count people smoking in public when they are out, Shelp said, and they compare the data from when the rule was first passed to the present. Since the rule went into effect, Shelp said the data has shown a decline in smoking in public.

“The goal is one day, when you see someone smoking, it seems really unusual,” Shelp said.

The county also provides free services for people to stop smoking, according to the press release.

An information and complaint line was also set up by the county during the implementation period of the rule.

“In the past year, 11 complaints were received via the hotline,” the press release said. “Of the complaints received, four were valid and responded to, two could not be verified, and the remaining five were for areas not covered by the rule, including one from Orange County, Calif.”

According to town documents, the current fine for failing to cease smoking in public is $25. People who own, manage or control public places can also be fined or cited for violating the county rule.

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