LANE COUNTY, Ore. (KMTR) -- Following in the footsteps of the University of Oregon banning all tobacco use on all university owned and operated property, Lane County is taking a serious look at doing the same thing on all of its property.
Lane County Health and Human Services is now opening the conversation about a possible tobacco ban on all of its property, including county buildings, facilities and county parks.
Health representatives from the county want to talk about this proposal with the public first time at a Tobacco Town Hall meeting in Eugene on Wednesday.
Tobacco is one of the biggest hurdles to health in the community for both adults and children. Lane County says there are still very high numbers of smokers in the community and education can only go so far.
According to the county’s statistics, around 17% of adults, 15% percent of 11th graders and 8% of eighth graders all smoke.
“Are some of these conversations happening in other counties? Sure, because it's that big of a problem. Everybody has to pay attention to this because it's that big of a problem. But what I'm proud of is that we are really taking a lead. We are a progressive county, we are at the forefront of change and progress and doing what is in the best interests of our county,” says Jason Davis, a spokesman for Lane County Health and Human Services.
The first Tobacco Town Hall meeting takes place Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 7 PM in the Carmichael Room of Lane County Juvenile Justice Center. The center is located at 2727 Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard in Eugene.
A panel of local health experts will be on hand to present information on the dangers of tobacco and other local policies in place against tobacco use.
The town hall is free for anyone to attend.
While this is the first town hall meeting, representatives are working toward holding more discussions and engaging the satellite communities of Lane County as well.
