May 29, 2015 Patrick Lagreid Regulations,  Smoking Bans

Seattle’s Parks Smoking Ban Passes, Expected to Start July 1

Just over two months since Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced his desire to see the Emerald City’s parks go smoke free, it appears he will get his wish.

Thursday night the Board of Park Commissioners voted in favor of the ban, meaning that all is required is for Superintendent Jesus Aguirre to grant his approval, which several media outlets reported as schedule to happen on Friday, including KIRO-TV.

While the ban would be eligible to go into effect in 30 days, it is expected to formally start on July 1.

The city recently dropped the monetary fine that the original ban proposed after several civil rights groups protested the proposal, saying it would unfairly target the homeless and minorities. Now, violators will be given verbal and written warnings before they would be subject to arrest for criminal trespass, something that still does not sit well with groups such as the NAACP and ACLU, who said it could give police a vehicle by which to harass certain groups and sought to have the ban rejected.

Seattle is home to approximately 652,405 residents.

King County Seattle Smoking Bans Washington
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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 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.

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