Twenty-two states plus Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico have now passed smoke-free laws that include restaurants and bars. The states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland (Feb. 1, 2008), Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana (extends to bars Sept. 1, 2009), New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon (Jan. 1, 2009), Rhode Island, Utah (extends to bars Jan. 7, 2009), Vermont and Washington.
The need for protection from secondhand smoke in all workplaces and public places has never been clearer. In issuing a groundbreaking report on secondhand smoke in June 2006, U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona stated, "The debate is over. The science is clear: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard that causes premature death and disease in children and nonsmoking adults." Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including at least 69 carcinogens. The evidence is also clear that smoke-free laws protect health without harming business. As the U.S. Surgeon General concluded, "Evidence from peer-reviewed studies shows that smoke-free policies and regulations do not have an adverse impact on the hospitality industry."
Visit http://www.smokefreevanow.org/poll08 for complete poll results.
The Mellman Group conducted a survey of 500 registered voters in Virginia, who were interviewed by telephone January 22-24, 2008. The margin of error for this survey is +/-4.4 percent at the 95 percent level of confidence. The margin of error is higher for subgroups.
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