Using nicotine products like Zyn in Detroit stadiums could cost you $100.
The City Council voted 7-2 to criminalize smokeless tobacco and alternative nicotine products in sports arenas. Violators will first be given a warning, but refusing to comply results in a misdemeanor and a $100 fine. The ban also applies to athletes, stadium employees and coaches.
“This ordinance should apply to Joe Smith as much as it does to [Tigers players] Spencer Torkelson or Tarik Skubal,” Detroit Attorney Graham Anderson said during a Monday committee meeting.
The proposal was led by Council Member Fred Durhal III, who said the ban will keep kids from being influenced by unhealthy habits. Durhal said high school students he spoke with assume chewing tobacco is part of baseball, but the MLB and other groups are working to end the longtime association.
The council did not hear from representatives of the stadiums or police during public discussions.
The MLB banned new players from using tobacco products in 2016, causing some to embrace alternatives like Zyn nicotine pouches. Other players have become anti-tobacco advocates. Late Detroit Tiger Bill Tuttle, whose baseball cards showed him with a big wad of snuff packed into his cheek, was diagnosed with oral cancer and used the last years of his life to raise awareness.
Durhal said he partnered with Knock Tobacco Out of The Park, a national organization working to remove snuff and similar products from baseball stadiums. They held a press event at the Corner Ballpark earlier this month advocating for Detroit to join 17 other stadiums that ban smokeless tobacco.
“Tobacco has taken an enormous toll on Detroiters for far too long and passage of this ordinance puts kids’ health first while focusing on keeping addiction out of sports,” Minou Jones, chair of the Detroit Wayne Oakland Tobacco-Free Coalition, said in a news release.
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Mike Cox said the City Council should focus on gun violence and poverty instead of banning nicotine pouches at baseball games. He posted an image on X.com of a pile of pouches with the phrase “come and take it” in response to the news.
The ordinance doesn’t apply to vaping, Anderson said Monday. Ford Field, Comerica Park and Little Caesars Arena are already smoke-free venues, prohibiting vaping and electronic cigarettes. Ford Field has an outdoor area designated for smoking.
Chewing tobacco inside stadiums could get you ejected according to policies posted by professional teams, but their visitor rules don’t explicitly mention nicotine pouches.
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Council Member Coleman Young II voted against the ban, saying the city shouldn’t be a “nanny state” that limits the freedom of adults to consume legal substances. Young said visitors can purchase alcohol, which could also influence the perceptions of youth.
“To be able to ban that, then you’d also have to ban beer in terms of the negative externalities of that,” Young said. “You can also look at hot dogs because of cholesterol that can clog your arteries.”
Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero was the other “no” vote, arguing that tobacco and nicotine bans already exist in stadiums and are unlikely to have an impact.
Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway said this ban aligns with efforts by Police Chief Todd Bettison to stop gas stations from selling vapes to children. She said flavored vapes appeal to young people who aren’t aware of the health risks.
Whitfield-Calloway said children mimic what they see adults do, and widespread marijuana use is hurting children. The ordinance does not apply to marijuana, and it’s already illegal to smoke cannabis in public spaces and venues like stadiums that aren’t licensed for consumption.
“Even though we say it’s legal, and it’s a decision of adults making these decisions to make such items legal, it doesn’t make them right,” she said. “Go into our schools today, you can smell the vaping going on. Our students smell like marijuana.”
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