State's restaurants slowly becoming smoke-free

Publication Date: 2005-03-07

• Author:--
• Publication:Ardmore (OK) Daily Ardmoreite

Most Oklahoma restaurateurs agree that secondhand tobacco smoke is harmful and that health and cleanliness are among their top considerations in determining future smoking policies, according to a recent poll conducted by Oklahoma State University.

In accordance with the Oklahoma Smoking in Public Places and Indoor Workplaces Act, restaurants must adopt policies by March 1, 2006 that are either totally smokefree or that limit any smoking to fully enclosed and separately ventilated smoking rooms...

State public health officials note that more than two-thirds of all restaurants in this state have already taken steps to become entirely nonsmoking.