Henrico's parks and recreational areas are officially tobacco-free

Henrico Recreation and Parks recently committed to making its parklands and facilities 100 percent tobacco-free and vapor-free, by partnering with Share The Air to adopt a voluntary tobacco-free outdoor policy.

The policy change was initiated by Y Street, a program of the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth and Virginia’s largest youth-led movement.

On Oct. 4, Y Street members from J.R. Tucker H.S. and Highland Springs H.S. met with Henrico’s Recreation & Parks Commission to present ways in which the county can enhance its parks and recreational areas and provide an outdoor experience that everyone could enjoy.

Y Street member Nainika Sompallie pointed out that she supported the Share the Air campaign because her brother has asthma, and her family has to avoid public spaces where there is secondhand smoke.

"When we’re in outdoor spaces, and someone is smoking or vaping, it causes his asthma to act up," she said of her brother.  "I believe everyone deserves to enjoy Virginia’s beauty – and by adopting a tobacco-free, e-cigarette-free policy, all Virginians, including those with respiratory conditions, can do exactly that.”

The impact of the new policy is expected to reduce tobacco and vape litter and residents' exposure to secondhand smoke, as well as to promote positive role modeling for youth who visit the county’s parks and outdoor recreational areas.

As Share the Air's 17th partner, Henrico Recreation & Parks joins a growing list of localities with tobacco-free and e-cigarette-free outdoor policies, and will receive free tobacco-free signage to post as a reminder to park visitors.

To learn more about Share the Air, visit https://sharetheairva.com/