Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation is taking steps to raise awareness of and compliance with the City of Wheat Ridge’s smoke and vapor-free law. Park staff is in the process of installing 75 new signs about the law in highly visible locations such as park entrances, ballfields and shelters.
In the fall of 2015, the Wheat Ridge City Council voted unanimously to prohibit the use of electronic smoking devices (ESDs) where smoking is also prohibited. Wheat Ridge joins twelve states and 566 local jurisdictions nationwide, including the Jefferson County municipalities of Arvada, Edgewater, Lakewood and Golden that have similar laws in place which prohibit smoking and vaping in certain indoor and outdoor public areas. The new signage supports compliance with the law, which went into effect on October 30, 2015, and expands smoke and vapor-free areas to include playgrounds, parks and other outdoor recreation areas, transit waiting areas, and city events.
Wheat Ridge park rangers are taking a friendly, frontline approach to encourage compliance with the law by distributing pamphlets to park patrons and “Oops cards” to those who may not be familiar with the law. The Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation website further carries the message that all city facilities, parks and open space are smoke-free, detailing that the law prohibits the use of cigarettes, chew, pipes, vape pens,
e-cigarettes, cigars and other vaporizing devices. “Overall, compliance with the law has been good. We are taking a comprehensive approach to educate Wheat Ridge citizens in order to reach 100% compliance,” said Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation Director Joyce Manwaring.
Jefferson County Public Health and the Tobacco-Free Jeffco Alliance (TFJA) commend the City of Wheat Ridge and its Parks and Recreation Department for being proactive in educating the community about the law and ensuring the health and safety of its residents and visitors. Wheat Ridge resident and TFJA member, Dr. Lorrie Odom, stated, “I am very proud of our city and its ongoing work to make Wheat Ridge a healthy destination for everyone.”
Community members are invited to join Dr. Odom and the Tobacco-Free Jeffco Alliance in efforts to improve the health of Wheat Ridge and other Jefferson County communities. The TFJA is a group of community members, organizations, health advocates and tobacco prevention and control specialists working to reduce the toll of tobacco in Jefferson County and across Colorado. For information about the next quarterly TFJA meeting, visit www.TobaccoFreeJeffco.com.
Resources:
- City of Wheat Ridge’s Smoke and Vapor-Free Ordinance #1584
- Information about ESDs and helpful fact sheets
- Information about community-level approaches to ESDs
- For help with quitting, consider the following resources:
- The Colorado QuitLine at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or visit coquitline.org
- FDA-approved smoking cessation products
- Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge’s free tobacco cessation group. This six-week, drop-in group meets on Tuesdays from 12–1pm or 5:30-6:30pm and provides adults who want to quit smoking with tools and support to achieve their goals. (You do not need to attend all six weeks in order to participate.)
- The Thinking of Quitting page on the Tobacco-Free Jeffco Website
- tobaccofreeco.org for additional information about quitting tobacco, secondhand smoke and Colorado tobacco laws
- Note: ESDs have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an effective quitting tobacco aid.
Jefferson County Public Health’s Tobacco Prevention Initiative and the Tobacco-Free Jeffco Alliance are working with students, parents and community members to educate about the harms of tobacco in our communities and to promote tobacco-free living. For more information, or to get involved, please visit: www.tobaccofreejeffco.com, email tobaccofree@jeffco.us or call Donna Viverette at 303-275-7555.