Understading State Smoking Bans

A few places ban smoking in certain outdoor spaces. Although no state has a ban in all public outdoor places, some local towns do. Outdoor areas include areas such as parks, beaches, and some areas within outdoor stadiums. Several states have their own unique bans. Georgia, for example, bans smoking in restaurants where people aged 18 and under can enter.  New Hampshire bans smoking in restaurants, bars, and schools, but state law prohibits local governments from imposing their own smoking bans. Local governments in North Carolina may impose smoking bans that are stricter than the state laws. 11 states (Alabama, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming) have not imposed any state wide laws that ban smoking. They instead require some business owners to post signs that designate smoking and non-smoking areas.  26 states have statewide bans in all enclosed public places. Some of those states exempt tobacconists (expert dealers in tobacco), and allow hotels and motels to designate a certain percentage of their rooms as smoking rooms.

While the smoking bans have limited the places smokers can actually smoke, thousands have turned to electronic cigarettes to quit traditional cigarettes altogether. Electronic cigarettes are a clean chemical free alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes. Ecigs emit vapor instead of smoke which enables them to be omitted from the majority of the smoking bans.