Every state in the United States, plus the District of Columbia, has instituted some level of ban on public smoking. Some are limited, restricting smokers to a certain space in a building; others are broad, and prohibit smoking nearly everywhere. The bans have been put in place because of growing concern about the health effects of secondhand smoke. Similar bans are being instituted around the world.
It was announced in May 2009, that North Carolina lawmakers reached an agreement to ban smoking in bars and restaurants. Governor Beverly Purdue has agreed to make the historic vote legal, in the state which grows more tobacco than any other state in the U.S.USAToday: N.C. smoking ban OK'd...(May 13, 2009)
Secondhand Smoke Facts
Secondhand smoke causes 3,400 lung cancer deaths per year and causes 46,000 heart disease deaths per year. The annual cost of secondhand smoke exposure has been estimated at $10 billion.
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References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
33 states and the District of Columbia have passed smoker protection legislationUSAToday: N.C. smoking ban OK'd...(May 13, 2009)
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Fact:
All states and the District of Columbia have passed some level of smoking ban
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277 municipalities
Smokefree workplaces, restaurants and bars
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391 municipalities
Smokefree restaurants and bars
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359 municipalities
Smokefree workplaces and restaurants
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554 municipalities
Smokefree workplaces
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522 municipalities
Smokefree restaurants
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393 municipalities
Smokefree bars
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May 2009
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour signed a law that increases the cost of a pack of cigarettes by 50 cents, which should increase state revenues by $113 million per yearUSAToday: N.C. smoking ban OK'd...(May 13, 2009)
