© 2024 Central Florida Public Media. All Rights Reserved.
90.7 FM Orlando • 89.5 FM Ocala
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Smoking, Large Strollers Will be Banned at Disney Parks in Orlando Starting This May

Cast members won’t confiscate tobacco products from visitors or kick them out for smoking or vaping after the ban takes effect May 1. Photo: Flickr Creative Commons
Cast members won’t confiscate tobacco products from visitors or kick them out for smoking or vaping after the ban takes effect May 1. Photo: Flickr Creative Commons

Disney announced it will ban smoking at its parks in Orlando this summer. The new rules also apply to vaping in the parks.

Cast members won’t confiscate tobacco products from visitors or kick them out for smoking or vaping after the ban takes effect May 1.

But they will ask them to go outside the parks to use designated smoking areas.

Bureau Chief of Tobacco Free Florida Laura Corbin says the new rules will make the parks safer for guests.

"There’s no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure. So even brief exposure can be harmful to your health. Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals. Hundreds of those are toxic and about 70 can cause cancer."

[audio wav="https://www.wmfe.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/smokesclipone.wav"][/audio]

The American Lung Association’s Paul Billings says it will also reduce the health risks of second-hand smoke exposure for workers.

"All the workers who work there will no longer have to encounter second-hand smoke throughout their work day. So that will really protect folks who are day-in and day-out and we know this from many experiences as we’ve gone smoke-free at work sites, parks, etc."

[audio mp3="https://www.wmfe.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/13002_SMOKING_DANIELLE.mp3"][/audio]

Guests will still be able to smoke and vape inside Disney hotels and at Disney Springs in designated smoking areas. 

Disney is also banning larger strollers, loose ice and dry ice-for more information on these bans please click on the following blog post.
If you'd like to listen to the full story, please click on the clip above.

Danielle Prieur covers education in Central Florida.