As we all know, smoking is bad for you.

Although this knowledge nearly has become common sense, it still doesn’t change the minds of some smokers. But for those smokers, the area in which they are free to light up has become smaller.

By banning the use of tobacco products in parks, the Norman City Council has taken a step towards better health and easier breathing for us all. The ban will prohibit the use of any tobacco products in any city park, except for the Westwood Golf Course.

Norman has become the third city to ban the use of tobacco products in parks, adding to the list of Oklahoma cities who are taking a progressive stance of limiting tobacco use.

Parks are intended to encourage recreation, which carries the connotation of participating in healthy activities. People who frequent the parks are not interested in the damaging effects of smoking which disrupt their outdoor activities.

By removing the tobacco products from areas accessible by children, we can remove the influence of unhealthy habits that children may see while at the park. Reducing the amount of exposure to the products may lower the trend of teenage smoking.

We can also lower the exposure to secondhand smoke, which kills an average of 3,000 non-smoking adults each year, according to the National Cancer Institute.

According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 440,000 people die each year from diseases associated with smoking.

Some argue that smokers’ voices were not heard in the debate, however, the city conducted a survey which found that a majority of 76 percent of Norman residents favored the ban. For any survey, this percent is a substantial number of citizens to represent the removal of tobacco products in a public place.

For smokers who are concerned about where they are allowed to smoke, the parking lots of these parks are still available to take a smoke break.