LEWISTON — The city has extended its public tobacco-use ban beyond parks, part of Lisbon Street and several other streets following a City Council public hearing Feb. 3.

In a 6-1 vote and with no public input during the hearing, the council approved an amendment adding three downtown street segments to the city’s tobacco-use prohibition ordinance. Ward 7 Councilor Bret Martel was the dissenting vote.

Existing bans of tobacco products around the Central Maine Medical Center campus, a stretch of Campus Avenue that runs through the Bates College campus and past St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center remain in place. Added to the ban is block of businesses between Park and Middle streets near Main Street.

Tobacco use includes tobacco-derived products including cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, electronic cigarettes and vape products. It also bans “any oral smoking device for the purpose of circumventing the prohibition of smoking in this policy,” according to the ordinance.

Ward 1 Councilor Josh Nagine said a local business owner asked the council to consider expanding the proposed amendment by extending the Park Street restriction to both sides of the street. 

Mayor Carl Sheline said he considered the request a substantial change and asked City Clerk Kathy Montejo for procedural guidance. 

Montejo said since the public hearing was advertised without that provision, any support or opposition residents might have could not be heard. The request to add to the amendment was denied.

Specifically, the expanded ban includes: both sides of Campus Avenue from Sabattus Street to Central Avenue; both sides of Lisbon Street from Adams Avenue to Main Street; the west side of Main Street from Hammond Street to High Street; both sides of High Street from Main Street to Hammond Street; both sides of Hammond Street from High Street to Main Street; the northeast side of Park Street from Main Street to Oak Street; the southwest side of Middle Street from Main Street to Oak Street; and the north side of Oak Street from Park Street to Middle Street.