Smoking ban will make Michigan 38th smoke free state
A smoking ban was passed by the Michigan Legislature on December 10, but it will not include three Detroit casinos. Smoking will be allowed in these casinos due to the fact that tribal casinos are not affected by the smoking ban so the competition would be unfair if the Detroit casinos were banned from smoking.
The bill now goes to Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm, who is expected to sign it. Once signed, the ban will take effect in May 2010. At that point the ban would make smoking in bars, restaurants and work places against the law.
Once the bill is signed, Michigan would become the 38th state to limit smoking in public places such as government buildings and bars and restaurants.
In 1998 the state of California encouraged other states such as New York to implement bans in their states. California’s smoking ban included a ban of smoking in bars, extending the statewide workplace smoking ban enacted in 1994. As of April 2009 there were 37 states with some form of smoking ban.
All of the states have differing regulations with some common denominators such as no smoking in office buildings or public places such as shopping malls. In California, more than 20 cities have smoking bans at parks or beaches.
There have been mixed feelings across the country as each state takes on the issue of smoking bans. Those who smoke feel that they are losing their rights and some have boycotted establishments that do not allow smoking. However, as more states incorporate the bans, it becomes more commonplace and less of an issue.
In the United States, smokers and hospitality businesses initially thought that businesses would suffer from smoking bans. In 2006 a review by the U.S. Surgeon General found that smoking bans were unlikely to harm businesses in practice, and that many restaurants and bars might see increased business.
More non-smokers felt comfortable going out to eat in a restaurant that was not filled with smoke when bans were in place. Bars did not suffer as much as they thought and accommodated smokers with sheltered outdoor smoking areas.
As a non-smoker, it’s difficult to see the opposition for the ban and easy to be excited about the fact that more states are banning smoking in public places — or ‘shared airspace’. However, there are arguments from smokers that are understandable due to the addictive nature of nicotine.
Electronic cigarettes have been making their way into the news and may be an option for those who really need to smoke in banned areas of the country. The health effects of using electronic cigarettes are currently unknown.
Some electronic cigarette companies claim that the harmful material produced by the combustion of tobacco in traditional cigarettes is not present in the atomized liquid of electronic cigarettes.
Once the Michigan law is signed, the closest state to Michigan without a smoking ban is Indiana.
Written by Cheryl Phillips
sources: wikipedia, FDA, Smokefreeworld.com
