Bill closes loophole in smoking law

Publication Date: 2005-04-05

• Author:CHRIS CHURCHILL
• Publication:Kennebec Journal

State health officials and several lawmakers are pushing to close loopholes that allow smoking in clubs and workplaces.

The proposed legislation pleases many bar owners, who say they've lost customers to private clubs since Maine took the smoke out of taverns in 2004.

It also suits groups such as the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society, who claim many Mainers are exposed to secondhand smoke at work despite groundbreaking legislation passed by the Legislature 20 years ago.

"Even here in Maine, workplace smoking remains an issue," said Dr. Dora Mills, director of the Maine Bureau of Health. "Our surveys indicate that nearly 50,000 adults in Maine are employed in workplaces where smoking is allowed."