About the only places smokers can light up are at home and outside, since the state's

indoor smoking ban took effect in 2003.

But now they can strike the outdoors — at least the parts owned by the Town of

Orchard Park — from that list.

The town has become the first in Erie and Niagara counties to ban tobacco in its parks,

beach and recreation areas.

"It's just a very bad habit. I feel for people," said Town Supervisor Janis Colarusso, who

quit smoking five years ago. "It's a very hard drug to get off."

She said smokers should not impose their tobacco use on those who don't smoke.

The town is taking a smoking ban a step further by making the town parks tobacco-free, not

just smoke-free.

The designation was made in conjunction with the Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition, which

is providing signs for the town areas. The sign was designed by local graphics artist Michael

Margolis and entreats park and beach visitors not to smoke or litter.

"We're looking for more opportunities to restrict smoking," said coalition coordinator

Anthony Billoni.

Billoni said the coalition is seeking more areas that will be smoke-free to help make

smoking less prevalent in the community. It's also trying to help the parks stay clean from

dropped cigarette butts, while creating a better space for children.

"We'd just like there to be one more place where they don't see people smoking," Billoni

said, adding that the less often children see others smoke, the smaller chance they have of

taking it up.

The issue of secondhand smoke exposure remains, he said, but is less of a problem outside.

Smoking was banned in virtually all indoor public places in New York State in July 2003.

And last August, the University at Buffalo became smoke-free inside buildings, outside

buildings and in green space on campus.

While the signs will go up in Orchard Park, there are no penalties for smoking in the

parks, beach and recreation areas.

"I believe the Town Board is hoping the residents of Orchard Park obey by seeing the

signage," Colarusso said.

"I think it's a positive step," Orchard Park Recreation Director Ed Leak said. "It's more

self-policing. The awareness will come."

Billoni said that starting out with a nonbinding policy helps move a community in the

direction of being smoke-free.

"The state loves to see local precedence," he said, noting it was after Erie and Nassau

counties put smoking bans into effect that New York State adopted its law banning smoking in

public buildings.