Thurston County Bans Smoking, Vaping in Its Parks

Thurston County commissioners on Tuesday approved an amendment to the county's park code banning smoking and vaping in or on Thurston County parks, preserves or trails.

Officials said they wanted to deter smoking and vaping and reduce exposure to secondhand smoke.

"We want our parks and trails to be safe for everyone to enjoy without the negative impacts of secondhand smoke — and that includes vaping," Bud Blake, the board's chairman, said in a news release announcing the change. "If science tells us that kids who vape are more likely to take up cigarettes, we need to take that seriously and do what we can by eliminating it in our parks and public places."

In Thurston County, 14 percent of adults smoke, which isn't far off from a 2016 Healthy Youth Survey's estimate of the percentage of 12th-graders who smoke cigarettes.

But 23 percent of 12th-graders use vapes, and research shows young people who vape are more likely to start smoking.

Under the revised code, people who smoke or vape in Thurston County's public recreational spaces will be committing a misdemeanor offense, which is punishable by a fine that increases with additional offenses.

The county commissioners also serve as the county's Board of Health.