A 4-3 vote by the Lakewood City Council last night will allow for smoking to continue in city parks. Instead of an outright smoking ban, recommended multiple times by the city’s Parks Advisory Board, smoking will be banned 50 feet from fields, picnic and play areas.
Councilman John Simpson rejected the proposal because he could not find evidence supporting the effects of secondhand smoke.
Lakewood is located in western Washington. Tacoma, the largest city in Pierce County, banned park smoking five-years ago. Lakewood is located to Tacoma’s southwest and has a population just shy of 60,000.