Gaston County commissioners have just passed what many consider to be the most restrictive smoking ban in North Carolina.
Beginning on July 1st, 2020, all tobacco use (including cigarettes, cigars, vaping devices, and dip) will be prohibited in public parks, trails, indoor venues, and all other government-owned buildings and land (with the exception of Crowders Mountain).
The new policy will also ban tobacco use in vehicles parked in the parking lots of government facilities.
“The County Commission is not telling people what they can do in their cars or in their homes, but if it is a public place, the Department of Health and Human Services has seen and deemed tobacco and vaping a health hazard, and if you’re in a public place, you shouldn’t have the right to do that because it infringes on other people,” noted County Commission Chairman Tracy Philbeck.
What do you think about the new ban?