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Healthy Cabarrus Resolution Resolution to Prohibit Smoking and the Use of Other Tobacco Products in County Parks and Recreation Buildings and on County Recreation Grounds' Date; June 9, 2011 WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure are leading preventable causes of illness and premature death in North Carolina and the nation; and WHEREAS, tobacco is a recognized carcinogen in humans, and health risks associated with the use of tobacco products include myocardial infarction, stroke, and adverse reproductive outcomes; and WHEREAS, secondhand smoke has been proven to cause cancer, hear disease, and asthma attacks in both smokers and nonsmokers;` and WHEREAS, in 2006, the United States Surgeon General determined that secondhand smoke exposure causes disease and prcmature death in children and adults who do not smoke; that children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more severe asthma; that smoking by parents causes respiratory symptoms and slows lung ....... ....'r,rr�i a:Frl in �YRPir !• {•P t'f •'a}' 11 ��lQ+ Cn..1Pt3�1"C]!`--- ?tf}�Pn!'P -i /f it }r'� }PC:: }y, �i� �'r1 PS'P iC Yf 11- {a {C _�YPP rP�Pl ilT in secondhand smoke; and WHEREAS, research indicates that, during active smoking, outdoor levels of secondhand smoke may be as high as indoor levels and may pose a health risk for people in close proximity (such as those sitting beside someone on a park bench or children accompanying a smoking parent or guardian); 6 and WHEREAS, the Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation reports close to 500 municipalities have eliminated exposure to secondhand smoke with 100% smoke free parks, and 100 municipalities have eliminated exposure to secondhand smoke with 100% smoke free beaches ; and WHEREAS, the CDC reports that smoking and smokeless tobacco use are almost always initiated and established during adolescence, that most people who begin smoking during adolescence are addicted by the age of 20, and that adolescent smokeless tobacco users are more likely than nonusers to become adult cigarette smokers; 8 and WHEREAS, every day an estimated 3,900 young people between 12 and 17 years of age try their first cigarette and an estimated 1,000 youth become daily cigarette smokers and WHEREAS, children model adult behavior and benefit from positive models of non - smoking behavior and positive reinforcement of healthy lifestyle messages through exposure to smoke -free and tobacco -free public areas; 10 and WHEREAS, environmental organizations, including Keep America Beautiful, the Ocean Conservancy, and NC Big Sweep, consistently report cigarette butts as a leading cause of litter; I I and WHEREAS, children playing in County parks and recreation buildings and on County recreation grounds are more likely to ingest cigarette butts if they are discarded and accessible; 12 and F -10 Page 411