Turlock City Council members met on  Jan. 27 to vote on approving a resolution that would enforce the original ban on smoking in public parks that was enacted in January of 2003.  A 5-0 vote determined that the resolution would remain in force and be upheld.
At its genesis, this twelve-year-old resolution was intended to specifically ban smoking in city parks, public facilities and parking lots.  The updated resolution has extended the limits of this ban to include electronic cigarettes and vaporizers and any other products that may contain tobacco.
According to the Turlock Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission (PARC), it is through the use of signs posted in public parks and facilities, and additionally through the use of education, that the city hopes to put a stop to smoking in public places.  Similar steps have been taken by neighboring cities such as Patterson in an effort to eliminate the pollution of the air at the hand of tobacco products.
Exposure to secondhand smoke has often been linked to health problems such as asthma, coronary heart disease, strokes, lung cancer and sudden infant death syndrome among other problematic health conditions.  Secondhand smoke is especially dangerous for young children, women who are pregnant and the elderly.
Through the enforcement of the ban on smoking in city parks, Turlock residents will no longer have to compromise their health to make use of local recreation areas, and adherence to the ban on behalf of Turlock residents will ensure the elimination of exposure to secondhand smoke.