Bill would exempt actors from smoking ban

Publication Date: 2005-04-20

• Author:BRENDAN FARRINGTON, AP
• Publication:The Gainesville Sun

Did voters really want to keep actors from smoking cigarettes as part of their performance when they passed a work place smoking ban?

Some lawmakers say no, that it would be ridiculous to ban smoking on theater stages, while others say a stage is still a work place and cigarettes pose a danger to actors as well.

A bill approved Wednesday by the Senate Criminal Justice Committee would, in part, exempt actors from the constitutional amendment that limits smoking to stand alone bars, designated hotel rooms and home offices.