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Murrysville Council Looks Into Regulating Smoking In Recreational Areas

MURRYSVILLE (KDKA) -- There are all kinds of laws about when and where you can light up, but now, a local community is looking to ban smoking, even out in the open air.

Murrysville parks are beautiful. There's green grass and clean air. But they're worried about butts, specifically cigarettes butts.

"In our active play areas, there were people smoking where children were playing," Murrysville chief administrator Jim Morrison said.

It was a big enough concern that residents asked the municipality to do something about it. No state laws are on the books to prohibit smoking in open air recreational areas, but they did find something to literally clear the air, at least regarding kids.

"We did find information available through a state program, 'Young Lungs at Play,' which regulated tobacco use in active recreational areas," Morrison said.

Murrysville Council got a look at the new policy proposal.

"We have over 14-hundred acres of both active and passive recreation opportunities in Murrysville," Morrison said.

The pending statue covers all active playground areas, ball fields, courts and other facilities, and it basically says, in Morrison's words, "Children actively engaged in sporting activities shouldn't have to breathe secondhand smoke."

If you want to smoke, there will be a smoking area, but if you choose to light up outside of one...

"If they refuse to not smoke in the area, they could be escorted from the property," Morrison said.

Now, it's up to Murrysville Council to amend, get rid of, table or approve the measure. They'll get to vote on it in the next few weeks.

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