Chatham County, N.C. will make all government-owned grounds completely tobacco free next year after the Chatham County Board of County Commissioners heard and acted on a recommendation from the Chatham County Board of Health this week.

The ban will go into effect on March 1, 2016.

All tobacco products, both smoked and non-smoked, as well as electronic cigarettes and vaping devices will be prohibited once the ban goes into effect, which covers government offices, county parks, offices and buildings owned by the county as well as county vehicles.

Fines or other punishments for violators of the ban have not been announced.

Chatham County is located to the southwest of the Raleigh-Durham area and is home to nearly 67,000 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.