First responders in Manchester are noticing a change since the city banned smoking in downtown parks.
Chris Hickey, with the Manchester Fire Department, says there's been a reduction in overdoses from the synthetic marijuana known as Spice.
“[The new policy] has really curtailed that and we saw our numbers were cut in half from what we saw last month to the point and time when they put the smoking ban in,” Hickey said.
Before the ban, Spice overdoses were as high as 21 in the month of July.
The smoking ban is now in effect in six of the city’s parks, including Veteran’s and Kalivas Parks.
Violators will receive a $50 fine for the first violation, a $100 for the second, and will have to appear in court for the third offense.
The ban refers to all tobacco related products including cigars, chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes.
