What is the purpose of the smoking ban?
The purpose of this ordinance is to protect workers and the public from exposure to secondhand smoke. Exposure to secondhand smoke is a documented health hazard resulting in more than 50,000 deaths per year making it the third most common cause of preventable death. It is linked to heart disease, many cancers, asthma, emphysema and other respiratory diseases, ear infections and respiratory diseases in children, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and a variety of other health conditions. Prohibiting smoking in indoor environments is an effective public health policy to lessen or prevent disease, to help smokers reduce or quit smoking, and to keep youth from starting to use tobacco.
