On Tuesday, the Dearborn City Council unanimously approved a smoking ban for city parks, but it’s not a complete snuff-out of tobacco use.

In the city’s seven mini-parks where there is play equipment for children, smoking has been completely banned. In other parks, smoking is banned within 15 feet of the outermost edge of any play structure in a community park, according to a press release issued by the city.

The new ban was heralded as “a good introduction to a smoking ban” by City Councilman Bob Abraham, who wanted a complete ban on smoking in city parks. The city’s hope is that these new restrictions will provide benchmarks and points to study the effect of the ban so that it might be adjusted to better suit the city’s needs in the future.

Those who disobey the new law will face a $50 fine plus administrative costs or community service if caught by city police, who will be enforcing the ban.

Dearborn is home to nearly 100,000 residents and is located on the edges of downtown Detroit.

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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.