Mass. Becomes 6th Smokefree State [11/20-1]
Excerpts from: Senate assures ban on smoking
By Scott S. Greenberger Boston.com
[11/20/2003]
Nearly a month ago, the House provided a veto-proof blessing to the statewide
smoking ban, and the Senate followed suit last night after three days of debate,
voting 29 to 10. Minor differences between the two bills will have to be worked
out, but last night's action ensures that the ban will become the law of the
Commonwealth starting July 5, 2004, with violators facing fines as high as $300.
"It's one of the most concrete victories for workers' health and public
health that we've seen in Massachusetts in a long time," said Diane Pickles,
executive director of Tobacco Free Massachusetts, an advocacy group.
The vote is a major victory for public health advocates who have devoted more
than a decade to jousting with the tobacco industry over a prohibition that
has swept cities and states across the country. Nearly 100 Massachusetts cities,
including Boston, have adopted bans, and the state is poised to become the sixth
with a blanket ban on smoking in virtually all public places.
Under both the House and Senate versions of the ban, smoking would still be
allowed in nursing homes, though it would be confined to specially designated
areas. Cigarettes also could be smoked in private clubs, fraternal organizations,
and cigar bars that can prove more than half of their revenues come from tobacco
sales. Republican opponents of the measure said the exemptions highlighted the
policy's flaws.
"If you're an employee of a nursing home, you can still be exposed to
smoke every day," said Senator Richard R. Tisei, Republican of Wakefield.
"Maybe we didn't include people who work in nursing homes because they're
poor -- many of them are immigrants; they're on the lower rung."
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