On Tuesday night, the Salisbury (NC) City Council unanimously voted to pass a measure banning smoking in the city’s 28 parks as well as a five-mile stretch of greenway, ballparks and buildings that are part of the city’s park system.

While the five-member council voted in favor of the proposal, several residents expressed concerns over both the enforcement of the ban and what one person said was a “another example of the government taking away the rights of citizens,” according to a report on SalisburyPost.com.

In mid-December, the council set a hearing date for the vote, after the proposal got the backing of the Salisbury Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, which proposed the ban as part of Rowan County Health Department’s initiative to decrease smoking. The department recently won a grant which would cover the cost of installing no smoking signs in the city parks, according to a report on SalisburyPost.com.

According to US Census Bureau Data, Salisbury is home to 33,622 residents and is the seat of Rowan County in central North Carolina, approximately 45 miles northeast of Charlotte.

 

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.