Supporter: Smoking ban likely heading for ballot

Publication Date: 2006-05-24

• Author:Jeffrey Gautreaux
• Publication:Yuma (AZ) Daily Sun

With thousands of signatures already in hand, a consortium of public health groups pushing for a statewide smoking ban in enclosed public places and workplaces are most concerned with possible voter apathy.

Bill Pfeifer, president and chief executive officer of the American Lung Association of Arizona/New Mexico, said the ban proposed by Smoke-Free Arizona has received 70 to 75 percent support in polling. He said the need is for those same people to go to the polls in November and vote in favor of the smoking ban.

"Our concern a little bit is apathy, that people will say, ‘Oh yeah, I thought we were already smoke free,’ ”