The proposal has been in the works for more than nine months, and yesterday it became official: Portland, Ore. will have a ban on smoking in parks, golf courses, natural areas and community centers as of July 1. The ban prohibits the use of cigars, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookahs, clove cigarettes, snuff and marijuana. There is a provision to allow the non-commercial use of tobacco for Native American religious ceremonies. The city now begins an education campaign to make the public aware of the ban, and while the ban provides for a misdemeanor citation and ejection from a park for violators, staff are being instructed to use education as the primary means of enforcement. Portland is Oregon’s most populous city, with a population of nearly 610,000 people. The Portland metro area numbers more than 2.3 million residents.
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