There are still a few hurdles left to clear, but parks in Grand Forks, N.D. appear to be on the way to becoming completely tobacco free.

On Monday, the city’s parks board gave preliminary approval to a ban on smoking and chewing tobacco within nearly all park district property, according to the Grand Forks Herald. The city currently has a ban on smoking, but not chewing tobacco, at the city softball fields and golf courses.

The new ban does provide an exemption that would allow chewing tobacco use in Lincoln Drive Park, King’s Walk golf course and Ulland Park.

The proposal must still go through a second reading and final approval at the board’s next meeting in early May.

Grand Forks is home to approximately 55,000 residents.

Avatar photo

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.