For Immediate Release: November 1, 2016
Contact: Mina Radman (202) 296-5469

D.C. City Council Makes Baseball Tobacco-Free in Nation’s Capital

Statement of Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The D.C. City Council took final action today to prohibit the use of smokeless tobacco – like chew, dip and snuff – at Nationals Park and other sports venues. With today’s action, Washington, D.C. joins the growing list of Major League cities with tobacco-free baseball.

We strongly urge Major League Baseball and the Players Association to agree to a complete ban on smokeless tobacco in all baseball facilities as part of the new collective bargaining agreement they are currently negotiating. The owners and players should send the simple and powerful message to kids that baseball and tobacco don’t mix.

Our national pastime should be about promoting a healthy and active lifestyle, not a deadly and addictive product. Today’s vote provides further momentum for the nationwide campaign to take tobacco out of baseball for the sake of kids, the players and the future of the game. Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco have also enacted laws prohibiting tobacco use at sports venues, including their professional baseball stadiums. Along with the new D.C. law, a statewide law in California will take effect before the 2017 season. Once all of these laws are implemented, 11 of the 30 Major League stadiums will be tobacco-free.

We applaud D.C. Councilmember Yvette Alexander and her colleagues for their leadership in helping push this worthy cause. We look forward to Mayor Muriel Bowser signing the measure into law.