Highland Heights City Council heard the first reading of a proposed smoke-free ordinance at Tuesday night’s meeting.
The council heard a presentation from Breathe Easy NKY, a group made up of local business and health leaders who favor the ban. The presentation brought mixed reactions among the council.
The proposed ban comes after other nearby Kentucky cities that have recently passed anti-smoking laws, like Dayton and Bellevue. The smoking ban would prohibit smoking inside local businesses, places of employment and city property, like parks and other city venues.
The presentation consisted of information regarding the dangers of second-hand smoke, along with the dangers of using e-cigarettes and tobacco.
“I know that a lot of us know that secondhand smoke is dangerous. It’s not good for our health,” said Stephanie Vogel, director of Population Health for the Northern Kentucky Health Department and one of the representatives from Breathe Easy NKY.
Michael Gieske, a doctor of family medicine at St. Elizabeth Physicians, discussed how the ban promotes good health.
“With freedom comes responsibility, and I think that is what we need to recognize. We’ve gotten smarter, we’ve gotten wiser and we recognize the health and economic impacts of smoking,” Gieske said.
After the ordinance is created by the City Administrator Michael Giffen, the next steps of the proposed ban would be a first and second reading and a vote, which could take up to a few months, according to Highland Heights Mayor Greg Meyers.