KINGMAN - More than 50 local business owners and community members gathered at the Powerhouse Tuesday to learn more about the Smoke-Free Arizona Act, which goes into effect on May 1.
The workshop, presented by the Mohave County Tobacco Use Prevention Program, the Arizona Department of Health Services, the American Cancer Society and Kingman Chamber of Commerce, shed light on how businesses in the state will be affected by the ordinance.
"This new law is a health issue," said Carol Smith-Carter, spokeswoman for the Tobacco Use Prevention Program. "It's about second-hand smoke."
Smith-Carter conducted a PowerPoint presentation on the act and what it requires businesses to do. She admitted that all the details, including how far smokers must be from an entrance and issues regarding veteran and fraternal organizations, have not been ironed out.
Smith-Carter said specific rules and guidelines not addressed in the act would be decided by April 7.
One rule requires that business owners inform employees of the ban inside all enclosed businesses by May 1 with signage about the ban. More information about the act and how it affects business is available at smokefreearizona.org.
Individuals in attendance addressed Smith-Carter with various questions and concerns. She clarified that an employee can smoke in a work vehicle only if there are no passengers, even if the passengers are smoking.
Enforcement of the act in Kingman and Mohave County hasn't been determined, but it likely will fall to the county, she said. Law enforcement will not patrol for offenses but will respond to complaints about violations.
Violations can be reported, anonymously if one chooses, at (877) 429-6676 or nosmokingarizona@azdhs.gov.
A first violation by a business results in a written notice of violation, while a second offense could result in a civil penalty between $100 and $500. For continued violations, businesses could face a civil penalty of $5,000 a day.
"The new law is about compliance," Smith-Carter said. "The point of this isn't targeting smokers."
Reader Comments
Posted: Friday, March 23, 2007
Article comment by:
Lorin McCann
They say its a health issue about secondhand smoke which has been proven harmless even by W.H.O. It is about targeting smokers.
A car driven 1 mile equals 160,000 cigarettes. One airport can produce 160 million cigarettes worth of carbon monoxide and 8.5 billion cigarettes worth of nitrogen oxide per day. Like comparing a candle to the sun, and we are trying to put out the candle. The longest lived people have all been smokers. Just a very few facts about cigarettes.
We are becoming Like Nazi Germany only worse. Our freedoms are going away fast. It's all about money and power over other people.
