Secondhand Smoke Legislation & Policy Alerts

Secondhand Smoke Legislative & Policy Updates

No-Smoking Underwater – New York Times. The Navy announced a decision in April 2010 to ban smoking in submarines. The decision followed a year-long study on nine submarines that found unacceptable levels of secondhand smoke when the subs are submerged.

New smoking ban for Michigan citizens – MSU State News. On May 1, 2010 Michigan became the 38th state to ban smoking from all workplaces, restaurants and bars. Exceptions include gambling floors of casinos, cigar bars, tobacco specialty stores, home offices and motor vehicles.

Proposal: Ban smoking in cars with kids – Miami Herald. Tampa Bay students argue for anti-smoking bill (April, 2010). According to the Centers for Disease Control almost 60% of children in the US aged 3-11 are exposed to secondhand smoke. “The legislation would make it illegal to smoke in a car when children younger than 16 are present…It would be a secondary offense, so an officer could not pull someone over because they are smoking. But if they are stopped for another reason and are in violation, it would count against them. A violation would result in a $100 penalty, although the bill gives the officer the latitude to issue a warning and give the person anti-smoking information. Florida is one of 23 states to propose similar legislation and would join four others that have enacted such laws.”