SEATTLE, Washington — Smoking cigarettes or using any other tobacco products in Seattle’s parks became illegal on Monday, as the U.S. Pacific Northwest’s largest city joined other American metropolises in restricting puffing in public.
Seattle’s Parks and Recreation officials voted in May to ban smoking in all of its 465 parks, Reuters reported.
The Park Service posted the photo with the following statement on their website:
As of July 6, 2015, all of Seattle’s public parks will be smoke-free!
Smoke-free parks further Seattle Parks and Recreation’s mission by creating a safe, welcoming environment for all park users, promoting healthy lifestyles for youth and reducing litter.
Smoking is allowed in public rights-of way, including sidewalks.
Enforcement of the new rule will primarily be a matter of education and reminders from Park Rangers and police officers. To report a non-emergency nuisance activity, use the non-emergency number 206-625-5011.
Right to Dispute:
Park visitors who have been given a written trespass warning for smoking in a park can set up a meeting to dispute the claim by emailing
[email protected] or by calling 206-684-4075.
SMOKING CESSATION RESOURCES:
If you would like to quit smoking, here are some resources:
English: 1-800-QUIT-NOW or 1-800-784-8669
Spanish: 1-855-DEJELO-YA or 1-855-335-3569
Chinese 1-800-838-8917
Korean: 1-800-556-5564
[Seattle, on Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest, is surrounded by water, mountains and evergreen forests, and encompasses thousands of acres of parkland (hence its nickname, “Emerald City”). It’s home to a thriving tech industry, with Microsoft and Amazon.com headquartered in its metropolitan area. The futuristic Space Needle, a legacy of the 1962 World’s Fair, is its most recognizable landmark.]
