The Willamalane Park and Recreation District Board, which oversees five recreation facilities and 43 parks and natural areas, totaling nearly 1,500 acres in and around the city of Springfield, has passed a new smoking ban for its parks. The ban, which goes into effect on October 1, prohibits the use of all tobacco products, electronic cigarettes and marijuana within district parks. According to The Register-Guard, violators can be subject to expulsion and bans from district parks facilities for violating the ban, as well as being charged with second-degree trespass, a Class C misdemeanor. The new ban tightens a previous regulation that required smokers to be at least 50 feet from district-owned buildings, playgrounds, athletic fields, dog parks, skate parks and picnic shelters. According to its website, Willamalane was created by voters in 1944 and is a special tax district, separate from the city of Springfield, with its own boundaries. Springfield, Ore. has a population of just over 60,000 residents and is located approximately 100 miles south of Portland.
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