On Tuesday, the Grand Rapids City Commission passed an amendment to its existing clean air law that will prohibit smoking, vaping and the use of tobacco products in city parks as of Jan. 1, 2021.
The ban added city parks and cemeteries to the definition of a public place, and thus somewhere where smoking is not allowed, however it granted an exemption for the city-owned golf course, a change to the language in the original ordinance.
It added new language that prohibits people from disposing of tobacco products within the boundaries of any area where smoking is prohibited, as well as disposing them anywhere except for a designated tobacco product disposal receptacle.
The ban passed by a 6-1 vote.
Grand Rapids is home to approximately 200,000 residents, making it Michigan’s second most populated city.
