The city of Claremont, N.H. appears headed for a smoking ban in city parks after the city council spent part of their meeting on Wednesday discussing ways to enforce a possible ban as well as fines and specific areas that would be covered.

While nothing was decided on, it was an indicator that a ban is coming, according to a report on VNews.com. The article mentions that when a ban is finally enacted, it likely wouldn’t go into effect until sometime in 2015. City Councilor Charlene Lovett first raised the idea in January.

The council instructed City Manager Guy Santagate to develop a preliminary proposal which will they seek public comment on before crafting a more formal ordinance. No time line was given for either of those steps to take place.

As has been the case in similar debates in other municipalities, the issue of public health versus personal freedom was one of the main points of discussion on Wednesday, with consideration also being given to reducing litter in parks.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.