On Tuesday night, the Salisbury (NC) City Council unanimously voted to pass a measure banning smoking in the city’s 28 parks as well as a five-mile stretch of greenway, ballparks and buildings that are part of the city’s park system. While the five-member council voted in favor of the proposal, several residents expressed concerns over both the enforcement of the ban and what one person said was a “another example of the government taking away the rights of citizens,” according to a report on SalisburyPost.com. In mid-December, the council set a hearing date for the vote, after the proposal got the backing of the Salisbury Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, which proposed the ban as part of Rowan County Health Department’s initiative to decrease smoking. The department recently won a grant which would cover the cost of installing no smoking signs in the city parks, according to a report on SalisburyPost.com. According to US Census Bureau Data, Salisbury is home to 33,622 residents and is the seat of Rowan County in central North Carolina, approximately 45 miles northeast of Charlotte.
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