More Smoking Regulations for Mecklenburg Co.?

CHARLOTTE, NC —  There are more than 127,000 smokers in Mecklenburg County.

The county Director of Health says that’s too many, and he’s proposing some drastic measures to help break the habit. Those potential steps are sparking some serious debate with county commissioners about what government is responsible for.

“Not enough people have quit smoking, so we’re going to force you to quit by not allowing you to smoke anywhere,” says Republican county commissioner Matthew Ridenhour.

Ridenhour is speaking up after a presentation to the board by the County Director of Health, Dr. Marcus Plescia, listing the top health challenges for the county. Tobacco use was at the top.

“We wanted to make sure that the commission understood what the options are,” says Dr. Plescia. “That’s our job, to lay out what the key problems are and then lay out the options. Everything that we want, though, is evidence based. So these are things, we know they will work.”

Those options include promoting smoke-free workplace policies, making places like sidewalks no-smoking zones and a county tax on tobacco products. The county has already mandated smoke-free government grounds and tobacco free parks.

“It’s another thing entirely though when the government is saying and suggesting that they should take another step,” says Ridenhour. “Take that a step further, and regulate the smoking on private businesses, within private businesses, and on private property. And that’s a concern for me.”

“They’re going to sit there and tell us that we have to do this and that,” says Charlotte resident J.B Young. “They need to first look at their own selves, what they’re doing. Those people love to tell other people what to do, but they don’t like to be told what they need to do.”

It’s not just tobacco. The top health challenges for Mecklenburg County residents include lack of physical activity and poor nutrition, HIV, unintended pregnancy and violence, which is not a traditional health concern.

“We do a community health need assessment every few years, where we ask the community what should we be working on?” says Dr. Plesica. “And it came up with them, and it was the first time it had come up on that list.”

Plescia is also recommending increasing the availability, and promoting the use of, long-acting contraception to combat unintended pregnancy rates in Mecklenburg County.