We are asking for your support regarding our idea to make Parsippany-Troy Hills parks and recreational areas 100% smoke free.

Outdoor smoking is a public health hazard. Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure outdoors can harm nonsmokers, plus smoking materials harm the environment. Concentrations of outdoor secondhand smoke can be as high as indoor concentrations, depending on where the smoking is taking place and the amount of secondhand smoke present.

Throughout the United States, hundreds of local governments have enacted smokefree air legislation for outdoor areas, especially recreational facilities like parks, playgrounds, and beaches, as well as school grounds and near buildings.

Hundreds of New Jersey communities have laws or policies that restrict smoking in their parks and recreational areas, and around government buildings and property. In New Jersey, the majority of communities make all parks and recreational areas 100% smokefree; some have partial bans. New York City banned smoking at all public parks and recreational areas including pedestrian plazas, beaches, boardwalks and much more, as of May 2011.