Goose Creek seeking change to smoking ordinance

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCBD) – Goose Creek leaders are considering a change to the city’s smoking ordinance.

“I realized that our initial definition of smoking was written into our ordinances in 2013. So, the definition of smoking basically only included regular standard tobacco cigarettes. We needed it to be expanded to include the other smoking products that are out on the market today,” said Goose Creek Police Chief LJ Roscoe.

The change is really targeted at one primary issue.

“One of the situations that we came across was because of the way the definition was written in our ordinance, it put our SROs at a really big disadvantage because our SROs could not charge kids at the high school with smoking because the vapes were not included,” Chief Roscoe explained. “The only difference that it’s really going to make is in reference to our SROs.”

Chief Roscoe said it will also help businesses that already prohibit smoking if they have someone who tried to challenge the definition of what smoking is.

The change would not impact anything else. In other words, you could still smoke anywhere you could smoke prior to this change.

“When we reviewed that, all we did was propose to change what constitutes smoking. So, that’s what we proposed last night at the council meeting,” said Chief Roscoe.

Council agreed to the change, including adding e-cigarettes, vaping devices, and similar things to the definition of smoking. It was approved on the first reading. Goose Creek City Council has its second and final vote on this change February 11th. If they approve it on February 11th, the change goes into effect immediately.