The Stillwater City Council is set to begin the process of discussing and possibly implementing a new tobacco-related ordinance that could result in a complete ban on the use of all tobacco products on city-owned property.

Since mid-summer, a group of Oklahoma State University faculty and staff have been meeting with councilman Miguel Najera on the matter, and on Nov. 3 the Stillwater Wellness Committee made a presentation to the council in hopes of getting them to adopt a “gold standard” approach that would result in the widespread ban, according to Ocolly.com, the student newspaper of the school.

The council was also presented with what is being called a basic-level ordinance that would just ban smoking on city property. Both bans would open up the city to grant money from the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust: $20,000 for the lesser ban and $120,000 in grants for wellness initiatives for the stricter ban.

While Najera has supported the idea, he told the paper that he didn’t think the council would go for an ordinance at this point, saying a resolution that encourages people to adopt a tobacco-free lifestyle is more likely than an outright ban.

The council will discuss the issue at its next meeting on Nov. 17.

Stillwater is home to just over 47,000 residents as well as Oklahoma State University, which has an enrollment of just over 25,000 students.

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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.