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<br />Playing Tobacco Free: <br />Tobacco-Free Policies For Park &. Recreation Facilities <br /> <br />Tobacco-free park and recreation <br />areas promote health <br /> <br />. Parks are established 10 promote healthy activities. The <br />purpose of park areas is to promote community wellness, <br />and tobacco-free policies fit with this idea. <br />. Secondhand smoke harms everyone. Secondhand smoke <br />is a human carcinogen for which there is no safe level of <br />exposure. Exposure to secondhand smoke has immediate <br />health consequenses such as asthma attacks and other res- <br />piratory diseases. <br />. Secondhand smoke is harmful in outdoor settings. Ac- <br />cording to Repace Associates, secondhand smoke levels in <br />outdoor public places can reach levels as high as those <br />found in indoor facilities where smoking is pennitted. <br />Cigarette litter is dangerous. Discarded cigarettes pol- <br />lute the land and water and may be ingested by toddlers, <br />pets, birds or fish. <br />. Tobacco-free policies help change community norms. <br />Tobacco-free policies establish the community norm that <br />tobacco use is not an acceptable behavior for young people <br />or adults within the entire community. <br /> <br />Why are Minnesota cities adopting <br />tobacco-free park policies? <br /> <br />. Most Minnesotans support tobacco-free park and rec- <br />reation policies. A 2004 University of Minnesota survey <br />found that 70% of Minnesota residents support tobacco-free <br />park and recreation areas. In addition, 66% of golfers and <br />73 % of families with children support these policies. <br /> <br />Policies provide consistency among community athletic <br />facilities and groups. The majority of community sporting <br />events are held at either city or school district athletic facili- <br />ties, and nearly all school districts prohibit tobacco use on <br />their entire grounds. Also, many community athletic associa- <br />tions have policies but use city recreation facilities and would <br />benefit from a city-wide policy. <br /> <br />Policies reduce litter and maintenance costs. In a 2004 <br />survey, 58% of Minnesota park,directors in cities with poli- <br />cies reported cleaner park areas. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Tobacco-free environments promote positive community <br />role modeling and protect the health, safety, and welfare of <br />community members. <br /> <br />Association for Nonsmokers--Minnesota <br />2395 University Ave. West., # 310 <br />St. Paul, MN 55114-1512 <br />(651) 646-3005; tfyr@ansrmn.org <br />TC1Sl\(!C - ''"11: <br />YC4~1'!! ii!l:~!ll\nCi<II <br /> <br /> <br />V/4'W,;!i!SiiTFl.orQ <br /> <br /> <br />The Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation Initiati <br /> <br />Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation (TFYR) is Minnesota's stateWl e <br />recreation-based tobacco prevention program that assists recreational <br />groups in promoting healthy tobacco-free lifestyles. TFYR offers <br />assistance in tobacco-free policy development and implementation <br />and also distributes materials that promote the tobacco-free sports <br />message throughout Minnesota. ' <br /> <br />Policy adoption assistance <br />& FREE signs available through TFYR <br /> <br />TFYR offers municipal park & recreation departments techni- <br />cal assistance in tobacco-free policy development. To help with <br />policy implementation, TFYR provides 12" x 18" metal blue & <br />white tobacco-free signs for FREE to Minnesota cities that adopt <br />comprehensive tobacco-free policies for their outdoorrecreational <br />facilities (limit 100 per community). <br /> <br />To qualify for the signs, the tobacco-free policy <br />must include: <br />. A list of a 11 the facilities it covers. <br />. A statement that all forms of tobacco use <br />are prohibited. <br />. An enforcement plan that includes <br />a) community and staff notification; and Tobacco-Free <br />b) signage. <br /> <br />~~to,FH/r& <br />::!~'! <br /> <br />'I'o'baoooUsets <br />GJjjj'f1T1'iT'7 <br />OlIThili' <br />Park Pnipe <br />-- <br /> <br />s <br /> <br />Contact TFYR staff (see below left) for policy adoption assistance. <br />Once a policy has been adopted in your community, send a copy of <br />the policy and a completed sign order form to TFYR. Download an <br />order form from our web site at <www.ansrmn.org>. <br /> <br /> Minnesota Cities with Tobacco-Free <br /> Outdoor Recreational Facilities <br />. Aitkin . Eden Prairie . Nwd Yng America <br /> Andover Edina Owalonna <br />. Anoka . Elk River Pelican Rapids <br />. Aurora . Eveleth Plymouth <br />. Austin . Farlbault . Prlnsburg <br />. Baxter Fergus Falls Ramsey <br />. Biwablk Golden Valley . Richfield <br />. Bloomington . Grand Rapids Robblnsdale <br />. Brainerd . Hibbing . Rochester <br />. Breckenridge . Hoyt Lakes . Rock County <br />. Brooklyn Center . lnt'l Falls . Roseville <br />. Buhl Kent . 53rtell <br /> Champlin Luverne . Savage <br />. Cloquet Mahtomedl Shoreview <br />. Cohasset Maple Grove Spicer <br />. Coon RapIds . Maplewood Sl Cloud <br />. Crookston . Marshall . Sl Paul <br /> Duluth . Monticello . Virginia <br />. Eagan Morris . Wlllmar_ <br />. Eagle Lake . Mountain Iron Wolverto <br /> New Brighton . Zimmerma <br /> April 2005 <br />