Smoking in Fulton County, Ga. parks has been snuffed out, as county commissioners recently voted to make it illegal to light up in the north Georgia county.

The new ban, which was approved unanimously by the seven-member board, carries an incredibly stiff fine; violators will be cited for a misdemeanor and could face a fine of up to $1,000 and 60 days in jail.

“The approval of this resolution is a major accomplishment for Fulton County,” said Fulton County District 4 Commissioner Joan Garner, the resolution’s co-sponsor, via a press release. “It is our aim to protect the welfare of Fulton County citizens and to ensure public health and safety for residents who utilize our parks and recreational facilities.”

“We wanted to make sure to protect our citizens, especially our youngest ones, from the dangers of secondhand smoke,” said Fulton County District 3 Commissioner Lee Morris, a co-sponsor of the resolution. “We are pleased that this demonstrates our county’s continued commitment to public health.”

Fulton County is home to approximately one million people and includes approximately 90% of the city of Atlanta, as well as the cities of Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, College Park and East Point, among others.

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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.