Smokers in Redwood County, Minn. will soon be enjoying their final puffs on county-owned grounds, as earlier this week the county board voted to ban the use of all tobacco products in those areas, with just one space exempted from the rule.

The new ordinance will go into effect on Nov. 1 except in Plum Creek Park, a 205-acre space located in the city of Walnut Grove. Officials felt it would be too hard to enforce the policy at that site according to a report on RedwoodFallsGazette.com. The move comes largely to reduce the areas where adults are allowed to smoke so that children don’t see them and think tobacco use is acceptable, according to Carol Biren, director of Southwest Health and Human Services.

The new rule goes into effect Nov. 1.

Redwood County is home to 16,000 people and is located in the southwestern part of the state.

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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 Major League Baseball, 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.