The ordinance required smokers to move away from hospitals to light up. The legislation has drawn a criticism from an unlikely source. Dr. Charles Brantigan says he does not support a hospital smoking ban because he sees evidence of smokers by his house and along the streets of the Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center campus in North Denver. "If you walk up the street, the whole area is littered with cigarette butts," Brantigan said. "This is the 21st Avenue ashtray."
Brantigan called the ordinance unenforceable, saying police are not going to write tickets for such a minor offense. "It's a problem with people smoking outside the hospital and littering," Councilwoman Carol Boigan, who sponsored the ordinance, said. Boigan says private hospitals have largely utilized their security guards to ask people to stop smoking on hospital grounds.
She did say Denver Health Medical Center officials have asked to meet with police to come up with a strategy for better enforcement. Many patients or others walking near the sidewalk may not have an idea the law is in place.
Reference: VIDEO - Denver continues hospital smoking bans , 9News.com, 10/22/2010.
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