JACKSON, Miss. (AP) _ The Mississippi State Department of Health says the Magnolia state leads the nation when it comes to implementing municipal smoke-free air ordinances.

On Tuesday, 14 Mississippi cities that passed comprehensive smoke-free ordinances in 2014 were honored by the Health Department, the Mississippi Public Health Association and Smokefree Mississippi.

Roy Hart, director of the Office of Tobacco Control at MSDH, says in a news release that Mississippi was listed as the 2014 first place winner of the Smokefree Challenge national award by Americans for Nonsmokers Rights.

Statewide, 101 communities have passed smoke-free air ordinances and 51 of these communities have included regulations for e-cigarettes as well.

The Mississippi Tobacco-Free Coalitions are funded by a grant from MSDH.