At its meeting on Wednesday, New Britain’s Common Council passed a ban on the use of tobacco in all forms—including e-cigarettes—as well as the use of marijuana in city parks and city-owned properties.

City police will be tasked with enforcement of the new law, and while violators will get a warning a first offense, they will be subject to an infraction and fine of up to $99 for additional violations.

The council has made itself open to the idea of having designated smoking areas within parks and city-owned properties for tobacco use only, but discussions as to the specifics of those locations remain to be had.

New Britain is home to approximately 72,500 people.

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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.