At its meeting on Tuesday, the city council of Mobile, Ala. approved an expansion of its existing smoking ban in public places that now covers city parks and all other city-owned or operated premises. The use of both smoked and smokeless tobacco is now prohibited, while electronic cigarettes and other vapor-based devices managed to avoid being prohibited.

The ordinance was approved by a 6-1 vote and comes just about three years since the city banned smoking in restaurants but allowed smokers in bars to keep lighting up.

Mobile is home to just over 195,000 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 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.