Smoking in parks will soon come to an end in Paducah, Ky., as on Tuesday the Paducah City Commission passed an amendment to the city’s existing smoking ordinance by a 4-1 vote.

The amendment adds all city owned parks, sports arenas, playgrounds and trails to the list of places where smoking and vaping is not allowed. To be in compliance with city law, smokers will be required to be at least 15 feet from any of those areas.

The ordinance allows for a violator to be fined up to $50 for a first offense of smoking in a prohibited area. Those fines escalate to $100 for a second offense within a 12 month period and $250 for each subsequent offense within that same time frame.

Additionally, the ordinance adds language that states that it is expected that the ban will be enforced by citizens who will ask smokers to follow the law. Police can be called, but other city employees and staff are also allowed to enforce the ban.

The changes will go into effect 30 days following publication of the amendment’s passage.

Paducah is home to approximately 25,000 residents and is located in the western tip of the state.

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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.