A smoking ban is in the works for the beach areas of Ocean City, Md., with the expectation that it will be formally discussed at the city council’s April 16 work session.

WJZ-TV reports that the popular resort destination, which welcomes some eight million visitors a year, could be the latest to ban smoking on the beach, with monetary fines as the main deterrent. Ocean City Councilman Brent Ashley is leading the charge for the ban, telling the station that he has received complaints about secondhand smoke and that residents are avoiding the beach because of it.

Specifics on enforcement, fines, costs of producing and installing signage and whether or not the ban would be seasonal or year-round are yet to be figured out.

Ocean City is located approximately 105 miles southeast of Baltimore and is home to just over 7,000 residents.

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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.