Ballot initiative filed to ban public smoking statewide

Publication Date: 2005-09-01

• Author:Elvia Díaz
• Publication:The Arizona Republic

A ballot initiative filed Wednesday would ban Arizonans from smoking in public places throughout the state, from bars and restaurants to offices and laundromats.

A coalition of health organizations formally launched a campaign to put the statewide ban on the Nov. 7, 2006, ballot saying too many people are dying of secondhand smoke. The measure, modeled after one in California, would be one of the toughest in the nation.

To qualify for the ballot, the group needs at least 122,612 valid signatures from registered voters by next July 6. Although statewide smoking bans have been proposed in the Legislature in recent years, all have gone down to defeat.