N.H. Bars, Restaurants Go Smoke Free

Publication Date: 2007-09-16

• Author:AP
• Publication:WCVB-TV

When New Hampshire bans cigarettes in bars and restaurants on Monday, customers will be counted on to help clear the air.

"Enforcement comes down to the public to a large degree," said Kate Frey, a state public health policy administrator. "They have the right to speak up if someone is smoking in an area they shouldn't be."

The new ban prohibits smoking in all restaurants and bars, as well as at any public event, such as a bingo night, at an otherwise private social, fraternal or religious club.

The Health and Human Services Department's tobacco control program is the only authority that can handle complaints and intervene, she said.

Local authorities will not be charged with that job. And the state won't have compliance officers roaming New Hampshire's bars and restaurants, she said.