PORTLAND — A proposal to make smoking at Portland playgrounds or sports fields against the law drew unanimous support at a public hearing tonight, but a handful of people spoke against barring smoking at outdoor restaurant seating.

The City Council’s Health and Recreation Committee is considering whether to recommend the ordinances to the full council. More than two dozen people turned out for the 5 p.m. hearing at City Hall, many of them representing health organizations and initiatives.

One proposal would make an ordinance of an existing city policy declaring parks and sports facilities tobacco-free. Speakers praised the proposal as a way to discourage young people from taking up the dangerous habit and to keep trash from accumulating on city green space.

A proposal to ban smoking in outdoor restaurant areas would prevent diners and workers from being exposed to secondhand smoke, which can be dangerous up to 20 feet away, even when the people involved are outside a building, said proponents.

A handful of opponents, including a few downtown business owners, said preventing smoking in outside areas would unfairly restrict businesses and personal freedom.

A couple business owners said they hope that the ordinance would distinguish between when an outdoor area is being used for dining and when it is intended as a smoking area.

Committee Chairman Dan Skolnik said the committee hopes to craft a recommendation for the council in the next few weeks.