DC Council considering ballpark smokeless tobacco ban

WASHINGTON (AP) - Washington could become the latest Major League Baseball city to ban the use of smokeless tobacco at the ballpark.

The D.C. Council will hold a hearing Thursday on the proposed ban, which was introduced in April by Council member Yvette Alexander.

If the bill is approved, Washington would join five other cities that have banned the use of chewing tobacco and snuff at big-league ballparks. The others are Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.

The ban would apply to games at Nationals Park and all other organized sporting events. Proponents say it will set the right example for kids who look up to baseball players.

Smokeless tobacco can lead to cancer. MLB has tried to implement a league-wide ban, but the players' union has resisted it.