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Health groups and youth urge council to adopt DHHS model tobacco‑free ordinance
Summary
Representatives from the American Heart Association, youth groups and parents urged Raleigh City Council to adopt the NCDHHS model ordinance to extend smoke‑ and vape‑free protections in parks, public buildings and municipal vehicles, citing secondhand aerosol harms and youth prevention benefits.
Multiple speakers at the Dec. 2 public comment period urged Raleigh City Council to adopt the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services model tobacco‑free ordinance to expand protections against secondhand smoke and vaping aerosol.
Emma Kate Burns, director of government relations for the American Heart Association and a Raleigh resident, asked council to update the existing local smoking ordinance drafted in 1992 to include protections from secondhand vape aerosols and to align with NCDHHS guidance. Burns said the model ordinance would protect residents who live, work and play in Raleigh and would reduce exposure to nicotine, ultrafine particles and toxic chemicals linked to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Several parents, youth leaders and student speakers echoed the call. Mansib Chocho, a Green Hope High School junior representing the Poe Youth Empowerment Team, emphasized the ordinance’s benefit for young people and described how visibility of tobacco and vaping normalizes use and leads peers to experiment. Other speakers, including Mariah Acton and Yashalasvi Saxena, additionally asked council to include vapes and e‑cigarettes in the definition of tobacco products and to align city rules with Wake County policy for consistency.
Speakers urged protections for parks, sidewalks, government vehicles and public buildings. City staff did not present a specific ordinance text at the meeting; public commenters requested the council adopt the NCDHHS model ordinance or direct staff to return with a draft for council consideration.
