There’s a good chance that the Portland City Council will be tackling a park smoking ban proposal in early 2015, as on Wednesday the Portland Parks Board issued a citizen advisory board’s recommendation that the city’s 209 public parks ban the use of all tobacco products and e-cigarettes. In May, the parks board announced that a committee was being formed to explore possible legislation to achieve the ban. While at this stage it is still a recommendation, Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz told OregonLive.com that she is planning on bringing it to the council in January with the hopes of getting it approved quickly. In addition to parks, the proposal calls for a ban on tobacco products in recreation and natural areas, while golf courses and Portland International Raceway would be given a three year timeframe to phase out their designated smoking areas. This summer, the city of Forest Grove, a suburb of Portland, passed a smoking ban at all city-owned and leased properties. With a population of nearly 610,000 people, Portland is Oregon’s most populous city, while the Portland metro area numbers more than 2.3 million residents.
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