In July of last year, after much ado and the hard work of many of us, City Manager Bruce Moore signed the Little Rock Parks Commission recommended policy that Little Rock City Parks be tobacco free. The policy went into effect in October.
Now as Riverfest approaches it is questionable if the organizers of the event are going to respect this policy or continue their subsidy for the tobacco industry at the expense of the community. A quick glance at the Riverfest website cites only Arkansas clean indoor air laws with no recognition of the Parks Commission’s tobacco free policy at all.
Will we once again suffer the drifting smoke, pay for collecting the cigarette litter, and finance the corporate welfare for a rogue industry? The organizers of Riverfest may not care about the community and the entertainers but I bet their sponsors do. You can find them here. Contact the city manager’s office too. Demand not merely simple courtesy but evidence based public health policies.
It’s your air and your music, don’t share any more of it with the tobacco industry.
