MOBILE, Alabama – Today’s the day Satsuma goes smoke free. On July 2, the Satsuma City Council unanimously passed an ordinance banning smoking in public and work places – including restaurants, bars, ballparks and playgrounds -- that was set to take effect 30 days from the passage of the new law.
Satsuma joins Creola, Saraland, Citronelle and Bayou La Batre in creating comprehensive local smoking ordinances which protect all public and work places from exposure to second hand smoke.
An outdoor billboard to recognize the transition of Satsuma to a smoke free community is now on display in the city of 6,200, which is located in northern Mobile County.
The City of Satsuma has included a copy of the new ordinance on its website that outlines fines that will be levied against those who smoke where it’s prohibited. Those who want to smoke outdoors in public places must stands at least 15 feet from entrances to businesses or workplaces, including outdoor bleachers and playground equipment at parks and other recreation facilities, according to the ordinance.
“It’s a great thing because it protects everyone in the community from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke which we know causes immediate damage to the body,” said Cathy Clothier, a tobacco prevention and control educator with the Mobile County Health Department. “People in Satsuma can literally breathe easier now.”
Also included in the ordinance is language regarding the operation of hotels and motels with a provision that states no such business shall have more than 20 percent of its rooms designated as smoking. The Satsuma smoking ordinance was first introduced during a public meeting on June 18, 2013, health officials said.
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