West Virginia is perennially successful at defeating attempts to enact preemptive legislation. West Virginia communities have consistently taken advantage of their right to local control by adopting smokefree laws to protect the health of their workers and residents from secondhand smoke in workplaces. More than 80% of West Virginians live in a county with a 100% smokefree workplace law. However, less than 40% of residents live in counties with smokefree restaurants and less than 15% of residents live in counties with smokefree bar laws. All workers in West Virginia deserve to breathe clean air because secondhand smoke exposure can cause of serious disease and death in every smoke-filled worksite, including bars and restaurants.

To learn more about WV smokefree efforts, visit The Smoke-free Initiative of West Virginia.

West Virginia law does not preempt the passage of local smokefree laws. Read more about current tobacco-related legislation in West Virginia.

Current tobacco-related statistics are available from the Centers for Disease Control's Tobacco Control State Highlights, 2007.

West Virginia's 2010 Legislative Session: January 13 - March 14