The Issue
Everyone deserves to breathe clean air in the places where they live, work, play, and spend time with their families.

Secondhand cigarette smoke is more than an unpleasant smell. It exposes people nearby to harmful chemicals and can negatively affect their health. Vape aerosol can also expose bystanders to nicotine and other substances. Children, older adults, people with respiratory conditions, and people with sensory sensitivities may be especially affected.

For me, this issue is also personal. I live with hyperosmia, an increased sensitivity to smells. Cigarette smoke and vaping odors can be overwhelming for me and can trigger severe headaches, nausea, and even vomiting. Avoiding these triggers isn't always as simple as walking away—especially when smoke enters the place you call home.

I have repeatedly tried to choose apartment communities advertised as smoke-free because I want to live somewhere I can comfortably breathe. Unfortunately, a smoke-free policy only works when it is consistently enforced. When people smoke near apartments, balconies, entrances, sidewalks, or other shared areas, that smoke can travel and affect neighbors who never chose to be exposed to it.

This issue goes beyond air quality. Improperly discarded or unattended cigarettes and other smoking materials can create fire hazards, particularly during dry conditions. Cigarette butts also contribute to litter along our roads, beaches, parks, waterways, and other shared spaces. Protecting smoke-free public areas can therefore benefit our health, our environment, and our community.

This petition is not about attacking, judging, or punishing people who smoke or vape. Adults are free to make their own choices. It is about establishing reasonable boundaries so that one person's choice does not unnecessarily expose everyone around them.

I am asking Horry County leaders to strengthen smoke-free and vape-free protections in appropriate public and shared spaces, including parks, playgrounds, recreational areas, entrances, and other places where our community gathers. I also ask that these policies include clear signage and meaningful enforcement so they actually protect the people they are intended to protect.

Horry County is home to families, children, workers, retirees, and millions of visitors. We can respect individual choices while also protecting clean air, reducing litter and fire hazards, and creating healthier shared spaces.

Your choice to smoke or vape should remain your choice. Breathing someone else's smoke or aerosol shouldn't have to be ours.

Let's help Horry County breathe easier. 🚭💚