Parks in the Township of Upper Gwynedd, Pa. are now completely tobacco-free as a recently approved ordinance has gone into effect.

Park visitors are no longer allowed to use tobacco in any form, as well as electronic cigarettes or other alternative nicotine delivery devices, unless that product has been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration as a tobacco cessation product.

While the addition to the town code does not specify a specific penalty for smoking in parks, the existing code which the tobacco ban becomes a part of allows for a fine up up to $1,000 plus costs of prosecution for each and every offense.

The town’s Board of Commissioners approved the ban at its May 22 meeting, and the ban went into effect five days later.

Upper Gwynned is located 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia and is home to approximately 16,000 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 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.