The City of Detroit has banned smokeless tobacco usage at all stadiums and sports arenas in the city.
Watch Demetrios Sanders' video report:
On Tuesday, the Detroit City Council voted 7-2 in favor of the ordinance that outlaws using smokeless tobacco at the stadiums in the city.
According to the ordinance, "smokeless tobacco, alternative nicotine products and other tobacco products" will be banned. The ban includes fans, players and coaches.
During the city council meeting, the city attorney said that there will be a first warning before violators are fined, and more than half of the MLB ball parks have a similar ordinance.
City Councilman Fred Durhal III said that the MLB supports the proposal in an effort to drive tobacco out of the league.
"Knock Tobacco Out of the Park has been very successful ensuring that stadiums, sports arenas, places that kids frequent are tabaccoless," Durhal said.
Councilman Coleman A. Young II and Gabriela Santiago-Romero voted against the proposal.
"If I'm an adult, I'm a grown-up, and I make a personal decision to be able to engage in chewing tobacco, by myself in the corner, or wherever I'm at, and I'm watching this game and I want to be able to eat the Big Chew, or whatever it's called, I should be able to do that and not have to worry about being fined or penalized," Young said during the hearing. "We're talking about $250 to $500 fines; you know, most people don't have $400 for personal emergencies, let alone, should be fined for chewing tobacco."
You can hear more from Young in the video below
At Lana's Bodega in Downtown Detroit, worker Nor Wutwut, said smokeless tobacco has become more popular than regular tobacco.
She questions if a ban of the products at sporting venues will be effective.
"Things like Zyn's, you just pop them in your gums. You're not really able to regulate things like that. People are just going to get a lot sneakier with it," Wutwut said.
She also said she believes the city should turn their focus to tobacco education.
"I think they're putting too much effort into regulating and they should probably put more effort into teaching people about moderation," Wutwut said.
