Santa Fe, N.M. City Councilor Wants New Smoking Ban

Santa Fe City Council member Ron Trujillo has announced plans to seek a smoking ban for the city’s parks and downtown Plaza, a move that he says comes out of a desire to improve the quality of life for residents and visitors to the southwestern city.

Trujillo introduced the idea at last Wednesday’s city council meeting in hopes of at least starting the discussion about a ban, which would include smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes as well as smoked tobacco products. The city currently prohibits smoking in restaurants, bars, retail stores, theaters and other enclosed areas, as well as within 25 feet of the entrance to a building. There are exemptions for retail tobacco stores and cigar bars, as well as private clubs and certain other spaces.

No ordinance has been presented for consideration at this point, with at least one council member telling the Albuquerque Journal that while she has been in favor of limiting smoking in public places, she wants to see what the ban might look like before endorsing it.

Santa Fe is a popular tourist destination for its established arts and cultural attractions and is home to approximately 70,000 residents.

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.