West Pittston leads way to smoke-free community

IT’S AS REFRESHING as a whiff of fresh air in a smoke-filled room to see a small Luzerne County town take on a major threat to society’s health.

West Pittston Borough Council on Tuesday night voted unanimously to ban smoking in all borough public parks at all times.

The borough, already an area leader in promoting smoke-free health, previously had banned smoking in its municipal building. And seven months ago it adopted an ordinance making it a summary offense for people under 18 years old to possess or smoke tobacco on any public property, including sidewalks.

Details and legalities of the adult smoking ban in parks are still being worked out. We hope the final law includes a stiff fine that gets violators’ attention.

The ordinance aimed at teenagers hits them where it hurts first – in the wallet – with a $100 per offense fine.

Though those nabbed probably don’t realize it now, that’s a small price to pay if it encourages abandonment of a nasty habit that will cut lives short.

It’s making an impact. Unlike in Wilkes-Barre and many other Northeastern Pennsylvania towns, one driving through West Pittston would be hard pressed to find a teen openly puffing away. A Wyoming Area School District official noticed fewer teens were seen smoking last fall at the football stadium, which is in the borough.

We’re not suggesting that teen smoking has been abolished in West Pittston. Some teens are cunning and na�ve enough to succumb to slick marketing that glamorizes the nasty habit, in part to get young people hooked. Such are the ways of Big Tobacco.

But thanks to the leadership of Mayor William Goldsworthy and the support of council, the borough is sending an equally strong message to its residents, both young and old.

“It drives me nuts because the kids are vulnerable and they crush under peer pressure,” Goldsworthy had told one of our staffers. “Smoking has no real benefit … People just don’t realize how detrimental it is to your health.”

West Pittston has displayed the courage to fulfill the most basic governmental function: Protecting the health, safety and welfare of its constituents.

Unfortunately, not all municipal leaders take that approach when the opportunity arises.

Last week Hazleton City Council needlessly bypassed a similar opportunity by defeating a proposal that would have banned smoking at the city’s municipal airport terminal.