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- Armenia 's first law on restricting the sale, consumption and use of tobacco products nationwide was in force on March 2 , 2005 . It prohibits smoking in any public transport system, and in all cultural, educational and health institutions {Link without Title} .
- Australia , federal law bans smoking in all Commonwealth government buildings, on most public transport, and in airports and international and domestic flights. Further bans are in place but are governed by individual states. Currently all Australian states and territories have banned smoking in enclosed public places, particularly workplaces and restaurants.
- --- New South Wales , 2005 In addition to a public place ban, half the area of pubs, bars, and clubs have to be smoke-free. A total ban is to be introduced in 2007.
- Bhutan is the only country in the world to have banned tobacco smoking and the sale of tobacco.
- Canada , no federal policy, but all ten provinces and two of three territories restrict smoking in public places.
- --- Manitoba , New Brunswick , Newfoundland And Labrador , the Northwest Territories , Nunavut , and Saskatchewan have banned indoor smoking including in bars.
- --- Ontario and Quebec have passed smoking bans in their legislatures which will take effect in 2006. Many cities also have by-laws restricting smoking:
-- Belleville , May 1 2003 banned in public places. Limited designated smoking areas in restaurants, bowling alleys, pool halls, bingo halls until 1 May 2006 , when all public places in Ontario will be smoke free. {Link without Title} {Link without Title}
-- Guelph , July 1995 banned in public areas with a gradual phase-in for restaurants until 2000. {Link without Title}
-- The Greater Toronto Area phased in a complete smoking ban for all enclosed public spaces from 1999-2004.
-- Region Of Waterloo , 1 January 2000 smoking ban in all public places. Fine $250. {Link without Title}
- --- British Columbia , Nova Scotia , and Prince Edward Island allow smoking only in separate, ventilated rooms.
- --- Alberta bans smoking in all workplaces except bars, casinos and bingo halls.
-- Edmonton has a total ban; Calgary will implement a ban in 2008.
- India , 1 May 2004 banned in public places (200 rupee fine for violations); no-smoking areas required in bars, restaurants and hotels.
- Republic Of Ireland , 29 March 2004 the first country in the Northern Hemisphere to ban smoking in all enclosed spaces, such as bars, resturants, hospitals, offices etc. Some public buildings have now built a 'Smoking Gazebo' outside entrances to cater for smokers.
- Italy , 10 January 2005 banned in all indoor public places.
- Malta , October 2004 banned in all entertainment establishments including bars and restaurants though separate smoking rooms are allowed if they meet a number of technical requirements.
- New Zealand , 10 December 2004 banned in all enclosed workplaces, including bars, clubs, and Casinos . The law enacting this was the Smokefree Environments Amendment Act of 3 December 2003 .
- Norway , 1 June 2004 banned in bars, clubs, and restaurants.
- Singapore has extended its ban in 1 October 2005 to now include pubs and bus shelters.
- South Africa , 1 October 2000 the first country in the world to ban smoking in all public areas, including bars and restaurants unless the proprietor built a ventilated smoking room, separated by walls and doors from the rest of the establishment, not exceeding 25% of the establishment's area.(Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act of 1999)
- Spain , 1 January 2006 Followed Ireland in banning smoking in all Workplace s, and bars and restaurants with more than 100 squared meters. Smaller venues may choose to allow smoking.
- Sweden , 1 June 2005 banned smoking in any business selling food or drink, private parties not open to the general public exempt. Smoking in designated smoking rooms and outdoors is permitted. Smoking on public transports and in most enclosed public spaces has been prohibited since 1983.
- Thailand , 8 November 2002 banned in all air-conditioned buildings, hospitals, government, phone booths, elevators, temples, etc. Sept 2005 banned all displays of tobacco, including in shop displays and all advertising.
- Turkey , 7 November 1996 banned in public places with a fine of 700 YTL as of 2006 (legislation 4207 with the name "Tütün ve Tütün Mamullerinin Zararlarının Önlenmesine Dair Kanun").
- United Kingdom
- --- England , from Summer 2007 all enclosed public places.
- --- Northern Ireland , from April 2007 all enclosed public places.
- --- Scotland , 26 March 2006 , banned in all enclosed public places (under the Smoking, Health And Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005 ).
- --- Wales , all enclosed public places - date still to be confirmed by the Welsh Assembly Government.
- Uruguay , 1 March 2006 , banned in all enclosed public places. (Fine of 27,300 uruguayan pesos the first violation, 54,600 uruguayan pesos for the next and even closure of the business).
- United States , no federal legislation. See below for state and local laws:
- --- Alaska
-- Anchorage , 2001 banned in most workplaces. Bars that don't serve food are exempt.
-- Bethel , 1998 banned in all public places.
-- Juneau , 2002 bans smoking in most public places, but stand-alone bars and some bar/restaurants are exempt until 2008.
-- Sitka , October 5, 2005 , passed a non-comprehensive ordinance. The only exemptions are for stand alone bars and clubs. An interesting feature was that kids are not allowed where smoking is allowed, which helped the Elks Club make the decision to go smokefree by a vote of their membership. The Moose Lodge is currently out of compliance, as they are allowing smoking in a building they share with a theater, and kids are being allowed in an upstairs room above the bar area.
- --- Arkansas , July 1 2006 banned in almost all workplaces. Exceptions include establishments that do not allow patrons younger than 21; retail tobacco stores; long-term care facilities including nursing homes; gaming floors of operations regulated by the Arkansas Racing Commission; designated smoking rooms in hotels; and workplaces with fewer than three employees.
-- Fayetteville , 2004 banned in restaurants.
- --- California , 1994 banned in almost all workplaces (excepting tobacconists), including all restaurants, and in 1998 smoking was banned in bars.
-- San Luis Obispo , 2 August, 1990 became the first city in the world to ban smoking in all public buildings
-- Calabasas , 2006 banned in all indoor and outdoor public places. Believed to be the strictest ban in the United States.
- --- Colorado , statewide ban goes into effect July 1, 2006, making Colorado the 13th state to pass a smoking ban. Colorado's ban exempts casinos, private homes and cigar bars.
-- Boulder , 1995 banned indoors except for isolated rooms in bars and restaurants.
-- Superior , 2000 , banned smoking in bars and restaurants, including patios.
-- Fort Collins , 2002 , banned in workplaces including bars and near doors and windows.
-- Pueblo , 2003 , banned smoking in bars and restaurants.
-- Greeley , 2003 banned smoking in bars and restaurants. Fort Collins and Boulder are generally regarded as "liberal" cities and Greeley was Colorado's first "conservative" city to enact the ban.
-- Eagle County , 2005 , voters banned smoking in bars and restaurants.
- --- Connecticut , 1 April 2004 banned in bars, restaurants, and workplaces with more than five employees. All 3 states bordering Connecticut (NY, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island) also have statewide bans on smoking in bars, restaurants, etc.
- --- Delaware , November 2002 banned in all public buildings, including workplaces, bars, restaurants, and casinos. Delaware is now among a group of 6 contiguous Northeast states (Delaware, N.J., N.Y., Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts) with bans against smoking in bars, restaurants, etc.
- --- District Of Columbia City Council passed a ban on January 4 , 2006 modeled closely on NYC's that applies immediately to all restaurants & is extended to bars, nightclubs, taverns and the bar areas of restaurants in January 2007.
- --- Florida , 1 July 2003 banned in all workplaces, except private homes, tobacco shops, designated rooms at motels and hotels, and stand alone bars with no more than 10% of revenue from food sales.
- --- Georgia , 1 July 2005 banned in restaurants and bars that allow minors to enter, or employ minors.
- ---, 2006 . Governor Linda Lingle , who supports programs aimed at reducing tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse among young people, is expected to sign it into law.
- --- Idaho , July 2004 banned in restaurants, retail stores, sports venues, child care centers, schools, and hospitals.
- --- Illinois
-- Chicago , January 16 2006 Banned in all public indoor places. Effective January 16 2006 , the ban prohibits smoking at restaurants without bars, common areas in residential buildings, sports arenas, convention centers, stores, malls, train platforms and outdoors within 15 feet of any public building entrance. But there is a potentially delayed start specifically for bars, taverns, and restaurant with bars, as these sites are given 2.5 years (until July 1 2008 ) to comply with the ban or implement an air-filtration system that will allow the indoor air with smokers to be of the same quality as the outdoor air.
-- Cook County, Illinois , March 2007. Effective in Cook County, except for municipalities with its own bans, indoor smoking is banned in all public places except for private clubs and nursing homes.
-- Deerfield , March 1 , 2006 . Banned in all public places, including parks and other outdoor assemblies.
-- DeKalb
-- Highland Park
-- Skokie , August 7 , 2003 banned in all public areas and places of employment, except for stand-alone bars, isolated bar areas of restaurants with separate HVAC systems, tobacco stores and bowling alleys. Restaurants with bars were given one year from adoption to complete any changes required to comply with the ordinance. To allow smoking, restaurants with bars are required to have at least 50% of the establishment be smoke-free, and the smoking area must have a wall or barrier and a separate HVAC system.
-- Springfield , September 17 , 2006 banned in indoor workplaces, including restaurants, bars, bowling alleys and private clubs. Exemptions include retail tobacco stores, some nursing home rooms, stage productions, hotel rooms and private homes not used for child or adult day care.
-- Wilmette , July 1 , 2004 banned in all public areas and places of employment.
- --- Indiana
-- Bloomington , January 1 2005 banned in public buildings including outdoor dining areas. Smoking is allowed only outside at a "reasonable distance" from doors, vents, and windows - measured by whether smoke can drift inside. Also banned in bars and private clubs as of 2005.
-- Carmel , March 5 , 2006 banned in all workplaces, enclosed areas and common-use areas(i.e. restrooms, lobbies, etc.), nursing homes and retirement facilities, condos, and restaurants. Exempts bars that don't employ or serve people under 21, tobacco stores and bars, private vehicles, private and fraternal clubs, and hotel/motel rooms, providing that 20% or fewer rooms are designated for smoking.
-- Fort Wayne , 1999 banned in restaurants, except in seperate, fully enclosed area(s) within a restaurant with a ventilation system. Exempted bars and bowling alleys.
-- Indianapolis , March 1 , 2006 banned in all workplaces, day-care facilities, sports arenas, and restaurants and bars serving or employing minors younger than 18. Exempts bowling alleys, tobacco bars, tobacco stores, and private clubs.
-- West Lafayette , July 1 2007 banned in all workplaces except homes, some hotel rooms, retail tobacco stores, tobacco bars, private clubs and outdoor areas in the city, including Purdue University's main campus.
- --- Iowa
-- Ames Banned smoking in most public places other than bars, bowling alleys, truck stops, and restaurants (after 8:30 p.m.). The state supreme court ruled that municipalities did not have the authority to pass such bans thus invalidating the city's ordinance. Due to an aggressive grass roots movement, though, today more than 95% of restaurants are completely smoke-free.
- --- Kansas
-- Lawrence , July 1 2004 began a ban on smoking in "all enclosed public places" within the city.
- --- Kentucky
-- Georgetown , October 1 2005 banned in most public buildings. Smoking is still allowed in some hotel rooms.
-- Lexington , April 27 2004 banned in public buildings.
-- Louisville , November 15 2005 banned in all public buildings, except bars and taverns, restaurants with profits from bar sales at least 25%, Churchill Downs, and with permission from the city.
- --- Louisiana
-- Mandeville , June 10 , 2005 banned in public places, workplaces, virtually all areas of public parks, and restaurants without a liquor license. Exempts bars and any restaurants with a liquor license.
-- Shreveport , May 10 , 2005 banned in public buildings, city parks, public areas, restaurants, and shopping malls and retail stores. Exempts bars and any businesses that sell alcohol.
-- Terrebonne Parish , January 12 , 2006 banned in shopping centers and malls, adult, child-care, and health-care facilities, parish buildings, sports arenas, museums, retail stores, restaurants without a liquor license, and bus stops. Exempts restaurants and bars with liquor liceneses.
- --- Maine , January 2004 banned in bars. Smoking has been banned in restaurants since 2000.
- --- Maryland
-- Montgomery County , July 1 , 2003 - banned in all eating and drinking establishments. {Link without Title}
-- Prince George's County , December 23 , 2005 (ban goes into effect 45 days after passage) banned in all bars and restaurants. private clubs are exempt.
-- Talbot County , April 2004 banned in all bars and restaurants. Exempts fraternal clubs.
- --- Massachusetts , July 2004 banned in all workplaces, including restaurants and bars, except private clubs and cigar bars. Massachusetts is part of a stretch of contiguous Northeast states (Delaware, N.J., N.Y., Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts) with bans covering bars, restaurants, etc.
-- Freetown, Massachusetts , January 1 2004 banned in all businesses.
- --- Minnesota
-- Hennepin County (which includes Minneapolis ), March 31 2005 banned in public areas. As of January 3 2006 , this ban will be rolled back excepting businesses that derive more than 50% of revenue from liquor sales.
- Minneapolis : Smoking banned in bars, restaurants, clubs, pool halls and bowling alleys. Smoking allowed on outdoor patios.
-- Ramsey County (which includes St. Paul ), March 31 2005 banned in public buildings, excepting businesses that derive more than 50% of revenue from liquor sales.
- , 2006 , smoking will be prohibited in all bars and restaurants in the city. The ban was long opposed by former mayor Randy Kelly but signed by mayor Chris Coleman on January 11 .
- --- Mississippi
-- , 2006 . Smoking will also be prohibited in certain outdoor areas.
- --- Montana , 1 October 2005 banned in public buildings.
- --- Nebraska
-- Lincoln , January 1 2005 banned in public buildings, except outdoor dining areas and designated hotel rooms.
- --- New Hampshire , all local bans are currently on hold, due to a state supreme court decision.
-- Colbrook , banned in restaurants.
-- Keene , February 4 , 2002 banned in restaurants and bars, except in bars with separated ventilation systems.
- --- 2006 , and it went into effect April 15 2006 . New Jersey's smoking ban thus connected a stretch of Northeast states with bans against smoking in bars and restaurants, spanning Delaware, N.J., N.Y., Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
- --- New York , July 2003 banned in all workplaces, bars, restaurants, bowling alleys, pool halls, and company cars, except Indian casinos and "cigar bars". New York is part of a group of contiguous Northeast states (Delaware, N.J., N.Y., Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts) with bans covering bars, restaurants, and other indoor sites.
-- New York City , March, 2003 - banned smoking in all restaurants, food-service establishments, and bars.
- --- Ohio
-- Centerville , 4 April 2005 bans all smoking in enclosed public places and places of employment. Smoking will be allowed in establishments having 55% or greater of their gross sales come from alcoholic beverages. Also exempt are bowling alleys established before 4 April 2005, tobacco shops, and family owned and operated businesses.
-- Columbus , 26 September 2005 bans all smoking in enclosed public places or places of employment. Exceptions tobacco shops, private clubs, and 20 percent of hotel rooms.
-- Summit County , February 2006 smoking ban being adopted with a number of exemptions -- smoke shops, 20 percent of hotel rooms, bowling alleys, private clubs and racetracks. Akron's less-restrictive Clean Indoor Air Ordinance, on the books since 1990, prevails in the city. It allows smoking in bars, bowling alleys, bingo halls, restaurants, banquet halls, hotels and tobacco stores. Because the two laws conflict, enforcement is being delayed indefinitely.
- --- Oklahoma
--Smoking is illegal inside and within 25 ft of all State-owned buildings, including courthouses, municipal buildings and public education facilities.
--Smoking is banned in restaurants unless a restaurant has a separately ventilated smoking room. {Link without Title}
- --- Oregon
-- Corvallis , August 1997 banned in businesses and public buildings, within 3 meters of entrances, including bars and restaurants.
-- Eugene , July 2001 banned in all public areas, including bars, restaurants, and venues. {Link without Title}
-- Multnomah County , July 1 2000 banned in workplaces, except bars, truck stops, and private residences. {Link without Title}
-- Portland , September 2005 The local mass transit agency Tri-Met prohbits smoking within all bus shelters, transit centers, and most MAX train stations. This rule is enforceable by a fine, exclusion, or arrest.
- --- Rhode Island , 1 March 2005 banned in almost all indoor workplaces, except some gambling facilities.
- --- Texas
-- Austin , September 1 2005 ban extended to all bars and clubs. Smoking is still allowed in bingo halls, Fraternities , hotel rooms, and nursing homes.
-- Dallas , March 1 2003 banned in all restaurants, bowling alleys, and city-owned facilities. Bars are exempt and hotels can offer smoking rooms.
-- El Paso , January 2 2002 banned in all workplaces, bingo halls, restaurants, bars, and public areas and waiting rooms of doctor's facilities.
-- Laredo , March 2006 ban takes effect in October 2006 in all public places, workplaces, restaurants, and bars.
-- Robinson , banned in all public places. Exempts bars.
-- West Lake Hills , smoking banned in public places.
- --- Utah , in 2006 Utah became the 12th state in the country to ban smoking in bars. On March 1, 2006, the Utah State Legislature passed amendments to the 1996 Utah Indoor Clean Air Act that will fully ban smoking in private clubs, bars and taverns by Jan. 1, 2009. The new amendments will also restrict smoking from day cares; private schools; social, fraternal and religious organizations; and even workplace smoking areas. The 1996 act already banned smoking in restaurants.
- --- Vermont , September 1 2005 banned lighted tobacco products in any indoor place of public access, including restaurants, bars and facilities owned or operated by a social, fraternal, or religious club. Vermont has banned smoking in restaurants for some years but smoking was still allowed in bars until the ban was extended in 2005.
- --- Washington , 8 December 2005 banned in all workplaces, including bars, restaurants, bowling alleys, and non-tribal casinos. Also bans smoking while standing within 25 feet of a door or window that can open or a ventilation intake. Currently it is the strictest smoking ban by state in the country.
- --- West Virginia local smoking bans in place in all counties except Mingo County , Logan County , Barbour County , and Pocahontas County, West Virginia . The bans have been set by county health departments. The "banning" began in 2001, starting with Kanawha County.
- --- Wisconsin
-- Appleton , banned in all public places, restaurants, bars, workplaces, childcare facilities, and private clubs. Exempts tobacco stores and motel and hotel rooms, providing that 25% or less are designated as smoking rooms.
-- Madison , July 1 2005 banned in all workplaces, including bars, cigar bars, and restaurants. Exempts private clubs. {Link without Title}
- --- Wyoming
-- Laramie , April 2005 Smoking outlawed in all public places, including restaurants, bars and private clubs.
- Vietnam , 07 January 2005 banned in Public Places including airports, public transportation, bus and train stations, ports, and government offices and waiting rooms.
prohibits smoking at or around an outdoor children's playground area. State law prohibits smoking within 25 feet (8 m) of such areas.]]
- In the state of California, outdoor smoking is banned within 20 feet (6 m) of all public building entrances, exits, "operable windows", and air intakes. This applies to all public and state-owned buildings, including all buildings part of such large entities as the 10-campus University Of California system, the 23-campus California State University system, and the 109-campus California Community Colleges System . Many California public universities take tougher stances than the statewide required minimum, either by extending no-smoking zones past 20 feet (6 m) or severely restricting outdoor smoking to specific areas, such as California State University, Fresno and San Francisco, which prohibits all indoor and outdoor smoking on its campus except for in several designated outdoor zones.
- Smoking is prohibited within 25 feet (8 m) of playgrounds, sandboxes, or "tot-lots" throughout the state of California.
- Solana Beach, California , a small coastal town in North San Diego County , California enacted a total ban (with no designated smoking areas) on smoking on its beaches in 2003, the first community to have done so in the Continental United States . Many other coastal communities in California have since enacted similar bans, although policies regarding the scope and enforcement of such laws vary. Other coastal California cities and communities with beach-smoking bans include Capitola , Carpinteria , Huntington Beach , Laguna Beach , Long Beach , Los Angeles , Malibu , Manhattan Beach , Newport Beach , San Clemente , Santa Cruz , and Santa Monica .
- Some beaches in Sydney, Australia have smoking bans in place.
- From 1 March 2006 , in Victoria, Australia smoking is banned from all covered train platforms, bus and tram stops. {Link without Title}
- In the Australian state of Queensland , smoking is prohibited within four metres of entrances to public buildings, near playgrounds, outdoor areas where food is served, and at all major sports stadiums.
- In 2004 San Francisco, California approved one of the strictest outdoor-smoking bans in the world to-date, prohibiting smoking in all city-owned parks and plazas as well as public sports facilities. Other smaller California cities have outdoor bans in city-owned places but none is as far-reaching as the new San Francisco policy, which came into effect June 1 , 2005 .
- In November 2005 the Kennesaw City Council passed a measure to ban smoking in city parks, becoming the second city in Georgia following Douglasville in July. Also in July, the Buffalo Grove Park District of Illinois banned smoking entirely from park property.
- Cities such as Davis , Healdsburg , and Berkeley, California ban all outdoor smoking at outdoor restaurants and food venues.
- Edmonton, Alberta banned all outdoor patio smoking at bars, restaurants and casinos on July 1 2005 .
- Selected wards in Tokyo , Japan prohibit smoking on the streets. This ban is enforced and Violator s are fined. In response, smoking cafes have opened to provide a space for smokers.
- Ocean City, NJ prohibits smoking except for very restricted areas on its 2.5 mile boardwalk due to a fire caused by a discarded cigarette butt.
- As of 8 December , 2005 Washington outlaws standing and smoking within 25 feet of a business' door, air intake, or window that can open. Smoking while walking on the sidewalk or other public access is allowable according to the law, even past one of these 25 foot zones. Businesses can also get exemptions if they can show smoke does not enter into the building from a lesser distance.
- The University Of Cincinnati outlawed smoking 25 feet around campus buildings at the beginning of the 2005-2006 school year.
- Ball State University prohibits smoking 30 feet around campus buildings as of August 2005.
- Purdue University West Lafayette campus prohibits smoking 30 feet around campus buildings as of August 2005.
- Cambridge Memorial Hospital in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada enacted a total (outdoor) smoking ban, believed to be the first in the entire province if not country, as of October 2004. At the same time, Wilfrid Laurier University in the nearby City of Waterloo proposed a similar total smoking ban on its property, after its 10 meter outdoor proximity ban (enacted in 2002) failed, miserably. WLU was presumed to be the third Canadian (public) post-secondary institution to consider such drastic measures, after Carleton and Acadia.
- South Africa which passed the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act in 1999
- Turkmenistan , under decree from President For Life Saparmurat Niyazov , has banned the chewing of tobacco.
- On December 17 , 2004 , in the Kingdom of Bhutan , a national ban on the sale of tobacco products went into effect. Smoking in all public places in Bhutan became illegal on February 22 , 2005 .
- California has designated certain areas, such as all public schools and even prisons, as "tobacco-free" zones, where the possession of tobacco in any form (whether by students, parents, teachers, or others) is strictly prohibited indoors and outdoors. The sale and advertisement of tobacco is banned within 1000 feet (300 m) of educational facilities.
- Similarly, Illinois law prohibits anyone from smoking on public school property (indoors and outdoors). All public and Catholic schools in the Region Of Waterloo in Ontario , Canada banned smoking on school property in the fall of 1994 .
- In other countries, such as France , the Netherlands and Russia , bans enacted earlier allow for smoking sections in restaurants, as well as possible special rooms for use by smokers in other workplaces (though many employers prefer not to incur the costs of building and maintaining such rooms)
- Many California communities have established smoke-free registries for private residential buildings, especially Apartment s. The policies may range from complexes where smoking is entirely prohibited (whether inside private dwellings or outside), or where certain sections of dwellings may be designated as smoking dwellings. While still a relatively new phenomenon, many California cities and communities such as Los Angeles have worked with the American Lung Association , which has been active in promoting anti-smoking policies in private residential buildings. Not surprisingly, such measures are somewhat controversial. While pro-smokers' rights groups have been vocal against such policies, most California cities allow landlords to place anti-smoking regulations at will because anti-smoking rules are in a context of landowners' private property. Also, anti- Discrimination laws do not cover smokers, as smoking is not considered an inalienable right. According to the Los Angeles Daily News 82 % of Californian apartment-dwellers favor smoking restrictions in their buildings.
- On 16 November 2004 a Public Health White Paper proposed a smoking ban in almost all public places in England . Smoking restrictions would be phased in, with a ban on smoking in NHS and government buildings by 2006, in enclosed public places by 2007, and pubs, bars and restaurants (except pubs not serving food) by the end of 2008. {Link without Title}
- ---On that chief medical officer Liam Donaldson nearly quit over the partial ban, but decided to stay to champion a total ban. On the same day, the government released the results of the public consultation, after Cancer Research UK demanded them under the Freedom Of Information Act , which revealed that nearly 9 out of 10 respondents wanted a total ban, resulting in further embarrassment to the government.
- ---On 11 January 2006 , the government further announced that it would give MPs a Free Vote on an amendment to the Health Bill, submitted by the health Select Committee , to instigate a total ban on public smoking. Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt voted in favour of the amendment and, in so doing, voted against her own department's policy. All other parties had offered free votes on the issue which was debated on 14 February , with 3 options - the present compromise, a total ban, or an exemption for members clubs only.
- --- On February 14 2006 , the House of Commons first voted on the amendment to the original compromise plan, to extend the ban to all enclosed public places except private members' clubs. The amendment was carried with a large majority. MPs then voted on a further amendment to ban smoking in all enclosed public places including private members' clubs. Again this amendment gained significant support and was carried with a large majority. This therefore replaced the earlier successful amendment which would have allowed smoking only in private members' clubs. Pending the legislation being successfully passed by the House of Lords (highly likely to be passed without problem as the majority in the House of Commons in favour of the bill was so large) a total smoking ban in enclosed public places will come into force in England some time in the middle of 2007.
- Legislation enacting a statewide smoking ban on all California beaches and in all private vehicles with small children failed by narrow margins in 2004 but similar legislation is expected to resurface in the near future.
- Tasmania was the first state in Australia to introduce a total smoking ban in venues licensed for gambling and/or to sell alcohol with effect from 1 January 2006 . All other Australia n states ( New South Wales , Victoria , Queensland , South Australia and Western Australia ) and the Australian Capital Territory currently have deadlines for introducing similar smoking bans within the next two years; the Northern Territory is expected to follow suit. {Link without Title}
- Denmark is considering expanding its smoking laws to forbid smoking in bars, restaurants, etc. {Link without Title}
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