Smoke-free Southwest US and Hawaii
Smoking is banned in Arizona restaurants and bars from May 1, 2007.
The Southwest states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah, plus Hawaii, have enacted laws banning smoking in public places. New Mexico joins them on June 15.
From today, May 1, 2007, Arizona becomes the latest Southwest state to ban smoking in restaurants and bars. California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah have all enacted anti-smoking legislation banning smoking in public places, and New Mexico's no-smoking laws go into effect on June 15.
The Arizona law places a 100% statewide ban on smoking in workplaces, restaurants and bars. Not only that, as in many other states, smokers cannot light up within 20 feet of the front door of any public place.
Arizona restaurateurs and bar owners who fear a drop in business can take heart from the experiences of their Californian counterparts. Since California enacted one of the first smoke-free workplace laws – which went into effect in restaurants in 1995 and bars in 1998 – it has reported some surprising statistics.
In the first year of the no-smoking laws in bars, sales for establishments selling all types of liquor increased by nearly half a billion dollars. By 1999, the increase was over $1.22 billion. This trend continued into the new millennium.
The smoking ban wasn't only good for business. Coupled with a strong educational campaign, the percentage of adult smokers dropped from 22.7 percent in 1988 to 14.0 percent in 2005. Among the 50 states, only Utah's adult smoker numbers are lower.
California teenagers also have one of the lowest smoking rates in the country. In 2004, only 13.2 percent of high school students smoked, nearly a third less than the nationwide figure of 22.3 percent.
Today California has the lowest per capita tobacco consumption in the United States. And more significantly, the number of cancers linked to tobacco use dropped by over 15 percent between 1990 and 1999.
At the beginning of April 2007, 22 states and 2,572 municipalities had anti-smoking laws. They vary widely in their application to workplaces, restaurants and bars. Even when a statewide smoking ban is not in force, individual cities, such as Sante Fe, may have their own municipal restrictions.
The American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation publishes a comprehensive and up-to-date online list of the no-smoking laws across the country. To check any city or state, click here.
As Arizona joins the smoke-free fold, here is the current status of no-smoking laws in the other Southwest US states and Hawaii:
California: Smoking is banned in most workplaces, all restaurants and bars. Calabasas, in Los Angeles, was the first US city to ban smoking in outdoor areas as well, including streets and parks.
Colorado: From July 2006, smoking was banned in all restaurants and bars except for casinos and cigar bars.
Hawaii: Since November 2006, smoking has been banned in all workplaces, restaurants and bars.
Nevada: A November 2006 law prohibited smoking in workplaces, restaurants and bars which serve food. It is still allowed in beverage-only bars, strip clubs and some casinos.
New Mexico: Bars and restaurants and most indoor workplaces will become smoke-free on June 15, 2007. There are exceptions for casinos, cigar bars, private clubs and bingo halls.
Utah: A 100% smoke-free bar law goes into effect in January 2009. Smoking has been banned in restaurants since 1995, and most workplaces.
