A parks smoking ban was approved by the Marion City Council on Thursday, bringing an end to the use of tobacco products or electronic cigarettes and vaporizers in the town’s 21 parks and recreational trails.

While there are still two more votes required for the ban to become law, assuming it passes it will go into effect on Aug. 1, with enforcement and citation of violators to begin after a 30-day grace period to allow for further education of park users, as well as to have it be concurrent with the end of summer. The city’s police chief told the council he isn’t planning on beginning enforcement until after the city’s annual Swamp Fox Festival, which occurs on Sept. 26, according to a report on TheGazette.com.

Once the ban is being enforced, violators will be subject to a $50 fine.

Marion has an estimated population of just over 36,000 residents and is a suburb of Cedar Rapids, located about six miles to the northwest.

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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.