Smoke-Free proposition to go to vote

Publication Date: 2006-08-05

• Author:Matthew Benson
• Publication:Arizona Republic

The first and more restrictive of two anti-smoking measures got the green light Friday for the Nov. 7 ballot.

The Arizona Secretary of State's Office signed off on petitions gathered by the citizens group Smoke-Free Arizona, clearing the way for its proposal, Proposition 201, to ban smoking in virtually all indoor public places in the state.

A coalition of public health groups collected nearly 186,000 signatures for the measure, and roughly 147,000 were deemed valid, according to the Secretary of State's Office. At least 122,612 signatures are required for such a proposal to make the ballot.

"This was a great day," said Bill Pfeifer, Smoke-Free Arizona chairman and president and chief executive of the American Lung Association of Arizona.