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11/30/2005: "BOCC To Hold Hearing On Smoking Ban"

SJC Health Department's Dr. James recommends the Board impose a smoking ban on county property

Siting as the SJC Board of Health, the Commissioners received a report from the SJC Health Department on a Tobacco Prevention & Control Program. According to the State Department of Health, Washington state and San Juan County are decreasing the use of cigarettes by a larger per cent than other counties in the state.

According to the data, only 13.3% of adults ins SJC smoke, compared to 19.7 statewide. To put this in some historical perspective, the data has been collected for five years, and in that period there has been a general decrease in smoking of about 13%.

Another interesting number is the 69% margin of victory in San Juan County for Initiative 901 (the ban on smoking in public places); the highest in the state.

After the data was presented to the Board, a proposal was made by the Health Department to ban smoking outright on all county property. This would include county parks and fairgrounds; in short, it would simply ban any smoking on. or in any county building or property. This would be a ban not unlike the ban on smoking in Thurston County

After some brief discussion on the pros and cons of an Ordinance., or simply amending the existing county regulation (Resolution 103-2004) to ban smoking, Bob Myhr suggested the Board pass a Ordinance, as this would require a public hearing. The suggestion was agreed to by the Board. A date for the hearing on the proposed Ordinance has not been set.