The Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department is drafting a policy that aims to ban tobacco use on any of the department’s land, including all 54 parks.

Interim Parks and Recreation Director Ernie Shaw told members of the department’s advisory board Tuesday that a written proposal would be presented at their December meeting. It’s expected to go to the Lawrence City Commission early next year, he said.

“This is not something new; it’s all over the country,” Shaw said. “I think it’s something that’s good for our city.”

If approved by commissioners, the ban would be implemented as a department policy and not a change to city code. The policy would ban all tobacco products and “associated delivery devices,” Shaw said, including electronic cigarettes and vaporizers.

The city’s current smoking laws, enacted in 2004, make it illegal to smoke in any enclosed public spaces but not public outdoor areas. It does not explicitly ban e-cigarettes.

The new ban would apply to all areas operated or leased by the parks and recreation department, including Eagle Bend Golf Course, bleachers at sports facilities and approximately 1,500 acres around Clinton Lake.

Jimmy Gibbs, recreation operations manager for parks and recreation, said the department decided the ban would be best as a blanket policy.

While the ban may be unenforceable in some instances, Shaw said, the department would focus on imposing it where there are gatherings of people.

“Where crowds or groups are is where you’re going to have control,” he said.

Specifically talking about the ban at Eagle Bend Golf Course, Shaw said, “Around putting greens, driving ranges, the clubhouse — that’s where people gather and that’s where we will try to enforce the most.”

The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department began the effort to implement a ban this spring, when it suggested to the advisory board restricting smoking in city parks.

Chris Tilden, director of the health department’s community health program, said a priority of the program is to reduce the use of tobacco in areas where children gather.

It’s also a concern of the department that children will see and model themselves after people using e-cigarettes, which are “a gateway to other types of tobacco use,” he said.

The health department is assisting parks and recreation officials to craft the policy, Tilden said. The department will also support the policy when it goes to the City Commission.

“There are no ordinances that control tobacco use in outdoor spaces,” Tilden said. “This is the first pretty substantial and pretty big move to create an administrative policy that would enforce tobacco-free grounds.

“It remains to be seen whether the city would adopt more comprehensive policies. We certainly believe in incremental progress, and this is a great step forward.”