City of Norwich Common Council members are exploring an update to the city's no smoking policy, which would include adding no vaping or cannabis smoking in city-owned parks. (Sun file photo)

NORWICH — The City of Norwich Common Council met Tuesday and discussed making changes to the city's no smoking policy, to include a ban on vaping and smoking cannabis in city parks.

City of Norwich Youth Bureau Director Anthony Testani said he realized the need for a policy update after a few individuals were asked to leave Kurt Beyer Pool due to smoking.

"My staff at the pool had people smoking in the pool, and they said please don’t smoke here, and they just went outside the pool, just outside the chain link fence and stood on the sidewalk out there and continued to smoke. They thought that they had no authority or means to remove them from the property or have them removed from the property," Testani explained. "So I went and said well let’s put some more signs up, put some outside of the pool, and put some in the parking lot area as well."

He said he spoke with Tobacco Free Chenango, a local coalition that aims to reduce tobacco use in the Chenango County area, about getting additional and updated signage. However, as the city's current no smoking ordinance does not include vaping or cannabis use, the city would have to pay for the new signs.

"To get additional signs we need to add cannabis to our policy," said Testani. "We don’t really have a policy that says anything about vaping or cannabis smoking."