In recognition of its passage of a smoke-free ordinance, the Dayton City Council was honored at its January 16 meeting by the Breathe Easy Coalition and the Northern Kentucky Agency on Substance Abuse Policy (NKY ASAP).
“Dayton’s leadership showed true dedication to community health when its council voted late in 2022, to pass a city-wide ordinance that prohibited smoking on Dayton city property, at places of employment and in enclosed public spaces,” said Karen Finan, president and CEO, OneNKY Alliance.
Dayton Mayor Ben Baker said, “The City of Dayton’s smoke-free ordinance is an important public-health initiative that protects children, employees, and nonsmokers. The U.S. Surgeon General has concluded that there is no ‘risk-free level of exposure’ to secondhand smoke which can cause serious diseases and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke, including those exposed to secondhand smoke in the workplace.”
Two additional Campbell County cities — Bellevue and Highland Heights — followed Dayton’s lead, passing similar legislation in 2023.
Stephanie Vogel, Director of Population Health at the Northern Kentucky District Health Department, which is responsible for ordinance enforcement, says, “We believe the local leadership shown by this council in passing a smoke-free ordinance is a great example of how to protect the health of the community, and is one that other Northern Kentucky communities can follow.”
For more information, visit www.breatheeasynky.com.
City of Dayton