Howard County (MD) Goes Smokefree

Howard County (MD) Goes Smokefree

Parts excerpted from the Washington Post, 6/6/06

The Howard County Council voted late yesterday to eliminate tobacco smoke in restaurants and bars, a measure that would make the county part of a five-jurisdiction smoke-free zone stretching from the White House almost to Baltimore.

The measure was praised by health advocates as a bellwether of increasing support for a statewide ban when the General Assembly reconvenes next year. "I think this definitely increases momentum for a statewide law," said Kari Appler, executive director of the Smoke Free Maryland Coalition. "I think we are at a tipping point now towards making the entire state smoke-free."

Three Maryland counties -- Montgomery, Prince George's and Talbot -- already require clean air in eating and drinking establishments. A fourth, Charles County, has outlawed smoking in restaurants. Washington DC also prohibits smoking in restaurants; smokefree bars will take effect in January.



The measure caps more than a decade of protracted and politically charged efforts to restrict smoking in Howard, which since 1996 has banned it in restaurants and bars unless they created separately ventilated smoking areas.

"I think we're all very pleased that once again Howard County will be a leader in public health," said council member Ken Ulman (D-West Columbia), who voted with Ball and Guy Guzzone (D-Southeast County) to support the measure. "We'll be able to move forward and protect our citizens and our employees from an unhealthy workplace environment."


Opponents of the smoking ban, which also prohibits smoking within 15 feet of the restaurant and bar entrances, said the measure was unnecessary because 83 percent of the county's eating and drinking establishments already prohibit smoking.


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