Indiana smoking ban set to go into effect July 1

Publication Date: 2012-06-21

• Author:Harold J Adams
• Publication:The Courier-Journal

A statewide smoking ban is set to take effect July 1, and employers, restaurants and most other public places are on notice.

“There’s no phase-in or grace period,” Tom Harris, the Floyd County Medical Officer said Thursday. Even designated outdoor smoking areas will have to be at least eight feet from the entrances to public places under the new state law.

But smoking will be allowed to continue at horse racing facilities, on riverboats, in places with gambling licenses, in bars and in tobacco stores and cigar manufacturing facilities.

And private nonprofit fraternal organizations have until the end of this month to decide by a vote of their membership whether to allow smoking. If they do allow it, they must confine it to a separate enclosed room “that is adequately ventilated to prevent migration of smoke to nonsmoking areas of the premises,” the law says.

In addition, no one under 18 years of age is allowed in smoking areas.

Harris said most businesses seem to understand the new law’s requirements and are ready to comply with them. He said he sees the fraternal organizations as “the most problematic area” because of potential problems with awareness of the law’s requirements.